A coalition led by Colorado lawmakers in Congress has reinstated critical funding that helps rural counties that contain large amounts of federal land.
The "Payments In Lieu of Taxes" program (PILT) provides federal tax dollars for counties with large swaths of untaxable federal land that can鈥檛 be developed. These remote counties as their larger, urban counterparts.
It was Congress adopted earlier in January. But a led by Colorado Democratic Sens. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet was able to get an amendment restoring the funding inserted into the federal Farm Bill.
A happy conferee. The bill extends PILT and gives much-needed certainty to our producers and sportsmen.
— Michael Bennet (@SenatorBennet)
"Rural communities in Colorado and across the country rely on these critical resources to provide basic services like police and fire protection, and road maintenance," Bennet said in a release.
Sen. Bennet, a member of the Farm Bill conference committee, helped negotiate the extension. The move will restore to Colorado counties.
For Larimer County, the loss could have amounted to nearly $1.7 million, according to projections for 2014.
Mesa County receives the most compared to other Colorado counties, with $3.1 million in 2013.
