WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today announced that the Department of Interior has allocated nearly $2.3 million in additional Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funds to Montana rural counties.
The Department of Interior has issued nationwide an additional $34,484,000 in payments under the 2015 PILT program. The funds have been made available as a result of a technical fix Daines fought for in the Continuing Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2015 passed on September 30, 2015.
“These payments are welcome news for numerous Montana communities who have suffered from severe economic challenges due to declining timber harvests and natural resource production,” Daines stated. “The PILT program provides critical support for Montana’s rural and forested counties, but long-term certainty and permanent solutions are still needed. I’ll keep working toward comprehensive forest management reforms and balanced resource development that improves the health of our National Forests, creates thousands of good-paying jobs and provides Montanans with the economic certainty they deserve.”
Complete information on the Department of Interior’s additional PILT payments, including a state-by-state breakdown, is available here.
Daines has long fought to protect funding for the PILT program to ensure that rural Montana counties receive the support they need for essential services. While serving in the House, Daines voted against efforts to fully zero-out the PILT program and spearheaded efforts to reverse the cuts and fund the program in the Farm Bill.
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