Capital Press 9/26/08

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The Bush administration may approve continued county timber payments after the House stripped them away. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., says he is optimistic.

"It's a genuine breakthrough," he told The Oregonian Thursday.

On Thursday the Bush administration said advisers would recommend Bush veto the House version of the bill. Language including the payments easily passed the Senate.

An amendment by Wyden and others extends the payments for four years.

Undersecretary of Agriculture Mark Rey said the administration recognizes that many rural counties lack the prosperity enjoyed by some in the West.

The payments are meant to offset county revenues lost because of federal logging cutbacks and are essential to many county budgets.