3.0.0 2358 2023-01-11T13:29:43Z 2023-01-11T13:29:43Z House HR 2015-05-15 114 [Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 75 (Friday, May 15, 2015)]From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]By Mr. ZINKE:H.R. 2358.Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuantto the following:Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution[Page H3253]]]> hsag00 Agriculture Committee House Standing hsag15 Forestry Subcommittee Referred to 2015-06-08T15:33:06Z Discharged from 2015-10-06T23:42:32Z Referred to 2015-05-15T13:05:45Z hsii00 Natural Resources Committee House Standing hsii13 Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Subcommittee Discharged from 2015-06-11T20:03:46Z Referred to 2015-06-04T19:54:44Z hsii10 Federal Lands Subcommittee Discharged from 2015-06-11T20:02:22Z Referred to 2015-06-04T19:54:38Z Reported by 2015-10-06T23:42:13Z Markup by 2015-06-11T20:46:32Z Referred to 2015-05-15T13:05:40Z H. Rept. 114-287 North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act of 2015 114 8 HR 2015-12-07 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Related bill House 2015-10-06 Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 219. Calendars H12410 2 House floor actions U00219 2015-10-06 Committee on Agriculture discharged. Discharge H12300 2 House floor actions hsag00 Agriculture Committee 2015-10-06 Committee on Agriculture discharged. Committee 5500 9 Library of Congress hsag00 Agriculture Committee 2015-10-06 Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 114-287, Part I. Committee H12200 2 House floor actions hsii00 Natural Resources Committee 2015-10-06 Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 114-287, Part I. Committee 5000 9 Library of Congress hsii00 Natural Resources Committee 2015-06-11 hsii00 Natural Resources Committee 1 House committee actions Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 22 - 15. Committee 2015-06-11 hsii00 Natural Resources Committee 1 House committee actions Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held. Committee 2015-06-11 hsii00 Natural Resources Committee 1 House committee actions Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans Discharged. Committee 2015-06-11 hsii00 Natural Resources Committee 1 House committee actions Subcommittee on Federal Lands Discharged. Committee 2015-06-10 hsii00 Natural Resources Committee 1 House committee actions Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held. Committee 2015-06-08 hsag15 Forestry Subcommittee 1 House committee actions Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry. Committee 2015-06-04 hsii13 Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Subcommittee 1 House committee actions Referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans. Committee 2015-06-04 hsii10 Federal Lands Subcommittee 1 House committee actions Referred to the Subcommittee on Federal Lands. Committee 2015-05-15 Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. IntroReferral H11100 2 House floor actions hsag00 Agriculture Committee 2015-05-15 Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. IntroReferral H11100-A 9 Library of Congress 2015-05-15 Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. IntroReferral H11100 2 House floor actions hsii00 Natural Resources Committee 2015-05-15 Introduced in House IntroReferral Intro-H 9 Library of Congress 2015-05-15 Introduced in House IntroReferral 1000 9 Library of Congress Z000018 Rep. Zinke, Ryan K. [R-MT-At Large] Ryan Zinke R MT K. N S001180 Rep. Schrader, Kurt [D-OR-5] Kurt Schrader D OR 5 2015-05-15 True G000565 Rep. Gosar, Paul A. [R-AZ-4] Paul Gosar R AZ A. 4 2015-06-10 False K000363 Rep. Kline, John [R-MN-2] John Kline R MN 2 2015-06-10 False N000189 Rep. Newhouse, Dan [R-WA-4] Dan Newhouse R WA 4 2015-06-10 False L000571 Rep. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY-At Large] Cynthia Lummis R WY M. 0 2015-06-10 False P000588 Rep. Pearce, Stevan [R-NM-2] Stevan Pearce R NM 2 2015-06-10 False K000188 Rep. Kind, Ron [D-WI-3] RON KIND D WI 3 2015-06-10 False K000368 Rep. Kirkpatrick, Ann [D-AZ-1] Ann Kirkpatrick D AZ 1 2015-06-10 False C001053 Rep. Cole, Tom [R-OK-4] Tom Cole R OK 4 2015-06-12 False W000821 Rep. Westerman, Bruce [R-AR-4] Bruce Westerman R AR 4 2015-06-17 False Y000033 Rep. Young, Don [R-AK-At Large] DON YOUNG R AK E. 0 2015-06-23 False J000255 Rep. Jones, Walter B., Jr. [R-NC-3] WALTER JONES R NC B. 3 2015-06-23 False P000602 Rep. Pompeo, Mike [R-KS-4] Mike Pompeo R KS 4 2015-06-25 False G000558 Rep. Guthrie, Brett [R-KY-2] Brett Guthrie R KY 2 2015-07-16 False 2015-09-15T21:40:56Z H.R. 2358, Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act https://www.cbo.gov/publication/50822 As ordered reported by the House Committee on Natural Resources on June 11, 2015 Public Lands and Natural Resources Electric power generation and transmission Environmental assessment, monitoring, research Forests, forestry, trees Land use and conservation Property rights Public Lands and Natural Resources 00 2015-05-15 Introduced in House 2015-07-31T20:40:53Z Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act

This bill requires the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture (USDA), with respect to lands under their respective jurisdictions, to provide direction under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to ensure that all existing and future rights-of-way for electrical transmission and distribution facilities on such lands include requirements for utility vegetation management, facility inspection, and operation and maintenance activities that:

  • are developed in consultation with the holder of the right-of-way;
  • enable the owner or operator of a facility to operate it in good working order and comply with federal, state, and local electric system reliability and fire safety requirements; and
  • minimize the need for case-by-case or annual approvals, and instead provide for expedited review and approval, for routine vegetation management, facility inspection, and operation and maintenance activities within existing electrical transmission and distribution rights-of-way, as well as utility vegetation management activities necessary to control danger trees within or adjacent to electrical transmission and distribution rights-of-way.

Interior and the USDA shall give facility owners and operators the option to submit to the appropriate Department a vegetation management, facility inspection, and operation and maintenance plan.

Interior and the USDA shall apply its categorical exclusion process under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) to plans developed under this Act on existing transmission and distribution rights-of-way located on lands under their respective jurisdictions.

(A "categorical exclusion" under NEPA is a category of actions which do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment and which have been found to have no such effect in procedures adopted by a federal agency in implementing environmental regulations and for which, therefore, neither an Environmental Assessment nor an Environmental Impact Statement is required.)

]]> 18 2015-10-06 Reported to House amended, Part I 2015-11-09T21:00:38Z Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act

(Sec. 2) This bill requires the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture (USDA), with respect to lands under their respective jurisdictions, to provide direction under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to ensure that all existing and future rights-of-way for electrical transmission and distribution facilities on such lands include requirements meeting specified criteria for utility vegetation management, facility inspection, and operation and maintenance activities.

Interior and the USDA shall: (1) give facility owners and operators the option to submit their own vegetation management, facility inspection, and operation and maintenance plans for approval; and (2) develop jointly a consolidated and coordinated process for review and approval of those plans.

Interior and the USDA shall apply their respective categorical exclusion processes under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) to any plans developed on existing transmission and distribution rights-of-way located on lands under their respective jurisdictions.

(A "categorical exclusion" under NEPA is a category of actions which do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment and which have been found to have no such effect in procedures adopted by a federal agency in implementing environmental regulations and for which, therefore, neither an Environmental Assessment nor an Environmental Impact Statement is required.)

A plan approved under this section shall become part of the authorization governing the covered right-of-way and hazard trees adjacent to that right-of-way. A hazard tree is any tree inside or located outside a right-of-way that has been found by either the transmission or distribution facility owner or operator, or by Interior or the USDA, to be likely to fail and cause a high risk of injury, damage, or disruption within 10 feet or less of an electric power line or related structure if it fell.

If vegetation on federal lands within, or hazard trees on federal lands adjacent to, an electrical transmission or distribution right-of-way granted by Interior or the USDA has contacted, or is in imminent danger of contacting, one or more electric transmission or distribution lines, the owner or operator:

  • may prune or remove the vegetation to avoid disruption of electric service and risk of fire; and
  • shall notify the local agent of the relevant Department within 24 hours after such removal.

The owner or operator of a transmission or distribution facility, after notifying Interior or the USDA, as appropriate, may also conduct vegetation management activities on federal lands to meet clearance requirements under standards established by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation or by state and local authorities.

An owner or operator of a transmission or distribution facility shall not be held liable for wildfire damage, loss, or injury, including the cost of fire suppression, if Interior or the USDA fails to allow it to:

  • operate consistently with an approved vegetation management, facility inspection, and operation and maintenance plan on federal lands within or adjacent to a right-of-way to comply with federal, state, or local electric system reliability and fire safety standards; or
  • perform vegetation management activities in response to an identified hazard tree or a tree in imminent danger of contacting the owner's or operator's transmission or distribution facility.

Interior and the USDA should develop a program to train their personnel involved in vegetation management decisions relating to transmission and distribution facilities to ensure that they:

  • understand electric system reliability and fire safety requirements,
  • assist transmission and distribution facility owners and operators to comply with applicable electric reliability and fire safety requirements, and
  • encourage and assist willing owners and operators to incorporate voluntarily vegetation management practices to enhance habitats and forage for pollinators and for other wildlife so long as those practices are compatible with the integrated vegetation management practices necessary for reliability and safety.
]]> Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act Display Title Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act Official Title as Introduced To amend the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to enhance the reliability of the electricity grid and reduce the threat of wildfires to and from electric transmission and distribution facilities on Federal lands by facilitating vegetation management on such lands. Introduced in House IH Short Titles as Introduced Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act Short Titles as Reported to House Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act H House Reported in House 2015-10-06T04:00:00Z https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-114hr2358rh/xml/BILLS-114hr2358rh.xml Introduced in House 2015-05-15T04:00:00Z https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-114hr2358ih/xml/BILLS-114hr2358ih.xml 2015-10-06 Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 219. text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress This file contains bill summaries and statuses for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.