"Once again, the Administration is turning to our precious public lands to solve financial woes of its own making. The Nation’s public lands are in the trust of the Federal government for the enjoyment of all Americans, and shifting funds from their conservation to pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest is just wrong," declared Rahall, the Ranking Democrat on the House Resources Committee which has jurisdiction over public lands issues.

     In its second attempt in as many months to sell public assets for private development, the Forest Service today released a list of more than 300,000 acres in 34 States that could be up for sale to the highest bidder. Lands targeted for sale include parcels in the Roosevelt National Forest, named after former President Roosevelt, who established the Forest Service in 1905.

     "The Forest Service recently celebrated its centennial, and now it is disrespectfully proposing to sell lands in the forest named after the President who created the agency," declared Rahall.

     The purported purpose of this sale is to fund the reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act, a law that ensures that counties with Federal Forest lands will receive continuing, guaranteed Federal funds based on historical timber receipts. The program also ensures a stable level of payments. Last year, rural communities received approximately $380 million.

     But according to Agriculture Secretary Mark Rey, "The administration’s proposal would provide counties with about half the revenue they received for schools and roads during the previous five years."

     "It is unacceptable to dismantle this widely popular program and break this promise to rural communities which rely on these funds to provide adequate schools and safe roads for their residents. The Administration is playing a shell game with these vital funds, undermining the guarantee of a fair return for these communities," stated Rahall.

     In the Bureau of Land Management’s budget, the Administration is proposing to shift seventy percent of the proceeds from selling parcels of Federal lands , which currently go to conservation programs, to the Treasury, where the funds could be used to pay the ever-blossoming price tag of irresponsible tax cuts.

     "The public lands offer unparalleled recreational opportunities, and keeping them in the public’s hands and maintaining these lands should not come at the expense of this Administration’s irresponsible spending habits," said Rahall.

     Rahall is a cosponsor of bipartisan legislation, H.R. 517, to reauthorize the Secure Rural School and Community Self Determination Act. This legislation would continue the existing program that is set to expire this year.