August 12, 2025 3:20 p.m.
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden is pressing the Trump administration to clarify that the bill congressional Republicans passed at the president’s demand won’t hurt Oregon counties and communities by upending longstanding forest management revenue sharing arrangements with the federal government that provide counties significant revenue for local roads, schools, law enforcement and more.
A release said in separate letters to U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz and Acting Bureau of Land Management Director Bill Groffy, Wyden noted that the bill Trump signed last month has generated significant concern from rural Oregon counties. Wyden said those concerns arose, after Senate Republicans rejected his amendment to section 50301 of the legislation so it would have explicitly continued the traditional revenue sharing – generated from timber sales and long-term timber contracting on federal land – with the counties.
Wyden wrote in his letters, “This has caused considerable angst among counties”. Wyden said, “Communities are afraid you may misinterpret section 50301 as overriding revenue sharing”.
Wyden wrote that both agencies could easily dispel those concerns from Oregon counties if both federal agencies simply stated they will keep sharing revenue generated by their long-term arrangements with the counties. Wyden asked both federal agencies to respond to his letters by September 8th stating their intent to do so.
Links to more information from the full release are at: