Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $31 Million in PILT Payments to Support Vital Services in Oregon

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced counties throughout Oregon will receive a combined total of $31,027,890 in Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funding for 2025. Because local governments cannot tax federal lands, annual PILT funding helps to defray the costs associated with maintaining important community services in counties with federal lands.  

“Rural communities shouldn’t have to wonder if they will have the resources they need to pay for essential services and infrastructure,”?said Merkley, who serves as Ranking Member of the Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee which funds PILT.?“PILT funds firefighters, law enforcement, schools, and road construction—I will keep working to fully fund PILT so communities and families across Oregon have the stability they deserve.” 

“Oregonians count on these federal investments to provide key support for road and bridge maintenance, public safety including firefighters and law enforcement, and more throughout our state,” said Wyden. “I’m gratified that Oregon will be receiving more than $31 million this year to strengthen those community priorities, and I’ll keep battling to ensure each county gets its fair share of this longstanding and proven financial lifeline.” 

PILT compensate counties for tax-exempt federal lands administered by federal agencies, including the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.?Payments are calculated based on the number of acres of federal land within each county or jurisdiction and the population of that county or jurisdiction.?  

Individual payments may vary from year to year as a result of changes in acreage data, prior-year federal revenue-sharing payments reported annually by the governor of each state, and inflationary adjustments using the Consumer Price Index and population data. Senators Merkley and Wyden continue to monitor PILT allocations closely and will continue to ensure fair payments for every county.?  

Here is a breakdown of PILT payments per Oregon county: 

A full list of funding by state and county is available on the Interior Department’s?PILT?page.

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