As a result, several bills were introduced in Congress this year to reform the timber sharing program. I believe that the Forest Service has an obligation to adequately support those counties that have been most impacted by the significantly reduced cutting of trees on federal forest lands. And I feel that any legislation to reform the timber payments program must ensure a guaranteed source of funding for counties that is not subject to the uncertainties of the federal budget process. The bill will provide Skamania County, and other similarly situated counties, a payment based on the three highest year's payments received since 1985. The House of Representatives passed the bill by a margin of 274-153.
Contamination already threatens the river and the surrounding inhabitants.
It is the people of Skamania County who must live and work in the face of contamination, and it is the people of Southwest Washington who will bear the heaviest burdens if we do not live up to the commitments made regarding Hanford. Instead, the issue continues to drag on, and DOE continues to search for new missions for Hanford. I'm very concerned about the cleanup of Hanford and feel that it should be our top priority. We cannot afford to divert our efforts from the cleanup of the Hanford site, and I'll continue fighting to keep our residents safe.