GRANTS PASS (AP) — Two members of Oregon’s congressional delegation are afraid that they won’t be able to win renewal of billions of dollars for rural counties hurt by national forest logging cutbacks unless Lane County spends some of its share to reopen jail beds shut down to balance the budget.

“I very passionately told my colleagues that if they didn’t continue these payments, that people would die, and there would be virtually no law enforcement across a vast swath of southwestern Oregon,” DeFazio said Tuesday from Washington, D.C. “It will put us in a tough spot.”

But Pete Sorenson, chairman of the Lane County Commission, said it would be fiscally irresponsible to spend the county’s $44 million share of the timber money as if it will go on forever, when it runs out in three and a half years.

“We’re just not like the federal government — we can’t print our own money,” Sorenson said.

Meanwhile, other Oregon counties that depend on the timber money face similar decisions, said Eric Schmidt, spokesman for the Association of Oregon Counties.

“A lot of counties, Lane County included, made a lot of program and personnel cuts back when Congress failed to reauthorize county payments three years ago, then miraculously reauthorized them after most counties put their budgets in place,” Schmidt said. “Most counties thought taking the money and putting it into reserves was a prudent financial move.”

Since the early 20th century, the U.S. Forest Service has paid a share of revenues from selling timber to the local counties to be used primarily for roads and schools. When federal logging was cut back by more than 80 percent in the 1990s to protect fish and wildlife, many rural counties suffered.

Various safety nets have been enacted by Congress over the years. But each successive one is tougher to pass, and each gives the counties less money.

The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2008 was headed for oblivion until lawmakers found a way to tack it onto a recession bailout bill. It shares $3.3 billion over four years between 700 counties in 39 states.

Oregon gets more money than any other state under the law, and Lane County, which includes Eugene, gets more than any other county — $44 million once allocations for schools and roads are taken out.

DeFazio and fellow Democrat Sen. Ron Wyden have told Lane County commissioners that when they go to Congress seeking renewal of the money they will have a tough time politically.

“If our adversaries can demonstrate that our claims in 2008 were exaggerated and convicted, violent criminals were released early for lack of funds while SRS funds were available it could greatly undermine our prospects for continuing federal support for rural counties,” Wyden wrote.

Sorenson said state and local revenues are also down significantly, forcing tough budget decisions. Closing 85 jail beds was a recommendation from the county budget committee, which includes citizens and commissioners.

He added that it was particularly frustrating that the Secure Rural Schools Act became law with a change by a Senate staffer that does not allow the money to be spent on forest work camps, so Lane County has not been able to reopen a program that kept 100 inmates off the streets.

DeFazio said he worked with the Bush administration to allow another revenue source to be spent on forest work camps, but Lane County hasn’t used it.

Schmidt said when he was lobbying for the Secure Rural Schools bill last year, he found that congressional staff were very aware that Oregon counties enjoyed very low property tax rates as a result of the timber payments, and wondered why the counties weren’t solving their fiscal problems themselves.