[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2153 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2153

To designate the Giant Sequoia National Forest Preserve in the State of 
                  California, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 19, 1993

 Mr. Brown of California (for himself, Mr. Beilenson, Mr. Hinchey, Mr. 
Waxman, Mr. Dellums, Ms. Schenk, Mr. Edwards of California, Mr. Berman, 
  Mr. Stark, and Ms. Eshoo) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred jointly to the Committees on Natural Resources and Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To designate the Giant Sequoia National Forest Preserve in the State of 
                  California, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Giant Sequoia Preservation Act of 
1993''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds and declares the following:
            (1) The Giant Sequoia trees (Sequoiadendron giganteum), the 
        largest of all trees and the most majestic of all living 
        things, are native to only a small part of the Sierra Nevada 
        range in California. The Giant Sequoia groves and other ancient 
        forests located within Sequoia National Forest are a unique 
        national treasure that should be passed on intact for the 
        benefit and enjoyment of future generations.
            (2) The Giant Sequoias are named for the Cherokee Indian 
        Sequoya, a giant among his people as the creator of the 
        Cherokee alphabet.
            (3) The Giant Sequoias are plant relatives of the Coastal 
        Redwoods of California, the Dawn Redwoods of China, and the 
        Bald Cypress of the American South.
            (4) Most of all the Giant Sequoia trees in the entire world 
        are within the boundaries of the Sequoia National Forest; these 
        trees and their environs are currently unprotected statutorily 
        from logging, development, and other impacts resulting from 
        human activity.
            (5) The ancient forests located in the Sequoia and Sierra 
        National Forests provide unique and unparalleled opportunities 
        for scientific study and research.
            (6) The ancient forests of the Sequoia and Sierra National 
        Forests are the homes of endemic, rare, threatened, and 
        endangered species of plants and wildlife; further destruction 
        and diminution of the forest can only accelerate the 
        extirpation or extinction of said species.
            (7) The ancient forests of the Sequoia and Sierra National 
        Forests can and do provide outstanding and unique recreational 
        opportunities for our Nation's people.
            (8) The ancient forests of the Sequoia and Sierra National 
        Forests retain and release water, thus guaranteeing a steady 
        and assured supply of clean, high-quality water for 
        agricultural, industrial, municipal, animal, environmental, and 
        recreational purposes.
            (9) The most valuable aspect of the Sequoia and Sierra 
        National Forests is their intact, natural ecosystems, which 
        have developed over tens of thousands of years; such ecosystems 
        are not renewable for many centuries after logging, if at all.
            (10) The policy of the United States Forest Service has 
        been to encourage logging of ancient forest habitats, including 
        that of the Giant Sequoias.
            (11) At the current rate of logging in the Sequoia National 
        Forest, it is estimated that all of the ecologically 
        significant unprotected forests will be destroyed within 7 to 8 
        years.
            (12) Removal of timber from the Sequoia National Forest is 
        done at a net loss to the United States Treasury of more than 
        $8,000,000 annually, over and above the amounts appropriated 
        annually by the Congress for the administration and operation 
        of the Forest.
            (13) Direct and indirect employment afforded as part of the 
        logging in the Sequoia and Sierra National Forests will decline 
        with reduction of the volume of native forest and with 
        compliance with environmental laws. Workers paid by private 
        interests for felling, hauling, and milling trees within the 
        boundaries of the Preserve established by this Act are 
        subsidized by United States taxpayers.
            (14) At current and prospective rates of logging under the 
        United States Forest Service's present ``Sequoia National 
        Forest Plan'', the forest is being removed at more than double 
        the sustainable rate.
            (15) United States Forest Service figures show the 
        recreational value of the Sequoia National Forest to be more 
        than 6 times that of timber extraction, yet recreational 
        values, and the opportunities for gainful employment associated 
        therewith, are seriously and permanently eroded under past and 
        present management of the Forest.
            (16) Private-property values within and around the area 
        affected by provisions of this Act, which are now adversely 
        impacted by logging and associated activities, will be enhanced 
        by the cessation of such activities, and opportunities for new 
        businesses compatible with forest and ecosystem preservation 
        will appear.
            (17) Sequoia National Forest adjoins Sequoia National Park 
        on the north and south, surrounds the Redwood Mountain and 
        Grant Grove sections of Kings Canyon National Park, and with 
        the Sierra National Forest bounds the entire west side of the 
        main part of Kings Canyon National Park. Logging on the Sequoia 
        National Forest severely impacts the views from and between 
        these parks and from the celebrated Generals' Highway 
        connecting them. Adding to the negative impacts is the traffic 
        of logging trucks using the public highways adjacent to the 
        parks. Among the Sequoia groves in and adjacent to the Kings 
        River watershed, where visitors expect national-park 
        conditions, logging operations spoil the experience for many, 
        including visitors to the Monarch and Jennie Lakes 
        Wildernesses, which abut the timber sales. Moreover, debris and 
        soil eroded from logging and formerly logged areas are carried 
        down slopes and streams into the once-pristine Sequoia groves 
        of the Monarch Wilderness, and into the Kings River.
            (18) One of the fundamental purposes of this Preserve is to 
        conserve the stands of Sequoiadendron giganteum and other 
        ancient trees, along with connecting and associated forests and 
        other Federal lands, including cut-over and otherwise damaged 
        forest land, within a portion of the Sequoia National Forest 
        and a portion of the Sierra National Forest, and to conserve 
        and restore the scenery, natural objects and wildlife, and to 
        provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by 
        such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment and 
        amazement of future generations and for the development of 
        scientific information.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    (a) As used in this Act, the term ``National Forest Preserve'' 
means forested land or land in close association with forests within 
existing National Forests or on other United States public land that is 
dedicated in perpetuity for scientific study, recreational activity, 
and/or environmental protection, and on which commercial timber harvest 
or further commercial or private development is prohibited.
    (b) The term ``the Secretary'' means the Secretary of Agriculture, 
except as otherwise expressly provided.

SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE GIANT SEQUOIA NATIONAL FOREST PRESERVE.

    (a) Establishment.--In furtherance of the purposes of this Act, 
certain federally owned lands within the Sequoia and Sierra National 
Forests in the State of California, which comprise approximately 
442,425 acres as generally depicted on a map entitled, ``Giant Sequoia 
National Forest Preserve, 1993'', dated ______ and numbered ______ are 
hereby designated as the Giant Sequoia National Forest Preserve 
(hereafter in this Act referred to as the ``Preserve'').
    (b) Map and Legal Description.--(1) Not later than 6 months after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall file a map and a 
legal description of the Preserve established under subsection (a) with 
the Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee on Agriculture of 
the United States House of Representatives and with Committee on Energy 
and Natural Resources and the Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, and 
Nutrition of the United States Senate. Such map and description shall 
have the same force and effect as if included in this Act. Such map and 
description shall be made available for public inspection in the office 
of the Forest Supervisor, Sequoia National Forest, in the office of the 
Regional Forester, United States Forest Service, Region 5, in the 
office of the Superintendent, Sequoia National Park, in the office of 
the Director, National Park Service, Department of the Interior and in 
the office of the Chief of the Forest Service, Department of 
Agriculture.
    (2) The Secretary may correct clerical and typographical errors in 
the legal description referred to in paragraph (1).

SEC. 5. PURPOSES.

    (a) Resource Protection and Restoration.--The Preserve shall be 
established to protect and restore the ecological, botanical, 
zoological, biological, scientific, aquatic, atmospheric, scenic, and 
recreational resources of the area within its boundaries.
    (b) Sequoia Groves and Forest Ecosystem.--The Preserve shall be 
established to protect the Giant Sequoia groves as well as all 
contiguous forests within the boundaries of the Preserve, and to 
restore the entire forest ecosystem within the boundaries of the 
Preserve to a natural state.
    (c) Habitat.--The Preserve shall provide optimum habitat for all 
naturally occurring species, in accordance with the Endangered Species 
Act.
    (d) Recreation, Interpretation, Study.--The Preserve shall provide 
opportunities for recreation, interpretation, and scientific study 
consistent with the other purposes of this Act.
    (e) Water, Air, and Scenic Quality.--The Preserve shall provide 
optimum water quality, air quality, and scenic quality within its 
boundaries, consistent with the provisions of all other Federal and 
State laws.
    (f) Prohibition.--No activities shall be permitted within the 
Preserve that are inconsistent with the purposes listed in subsections 
(a) through (e).

SEC. 6. SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD.

    (a) Establishment.--There is hereby established the Giant Sequoia 
Scientific Advisory Board (hereinafter referred to as the ``Board''). 
The Secretary shall consult and seek the advice and recommendations of 
the Board with respect to--
            (1) the measures needed to protect and manage the natural 
        and scientific values of the Preserve; and
            (2) the administration of the Preserve with respect to 
        policies, programs, and activities which are specifically 
        intended to retain and restore the natural ecological processes 
        of the Preserve, with special attention to preservation of the 
        ancient forest ecosystems, including those of the Giant 
        Sequoias.
The Board may make recommendations to the Secretary with regard to new 
research opportunities which may exist within the Preserve designed to 
gain scientific information for future interpretation of the ecology 
and evolution of this area, to add to the understanding of the 
importance of natural systems, and to enhance enjoyment by visitors to 
the Preserve. The Board shall encourage public participation in 
connection with such recommendations and request public input before 
making such proposals to the Secretary and before any meeting between 
the Secretary and the Board as referenced in subsection (e) of this 
section. No recommendation by the Board shall be binding upon the 
Secretary.
    (b) Membership.--The Board shall be composed of members, who shall 
be appointed by the Secretary as follows:
            (1) Three members from several persons recommended by the 
        Chief of the Forest Service, to include (A) a forest ecologist 
        to serve as Chair of the Board, (B) a forest microbiologist, 
        and (C) a conservation biologist, all of whom may be employees 
        of the Forest Service.
            (2) Three members from several persons recommended by the 
        National Academy of Sciences, to include (A) a hydrologist with 
        expertise on Sierra Nevada watersheds, (B) a wildlife 
        biologist, and (C) a fisheries biologist.
            (3) Three members from several persons recommended by the 
        California Academy of Sciences, to include (A) a plant 
        biologist with expertise on Sequoiadendron giganteum, (B) a 
        soil scientist with expertise on the Sierra Nevada, (C) a lay 
        person from a nongovernmental noncommercial organization 
        dedicated to the conservation of natural resources in the 
        Sierra Nevada.
    (c) Terms.--Each member of the Board shall be appointed to serve 
for a term of 3 years, except that one of the initial appointees of 
each nominating official or organization shall serve an initial term of 
4 years, one of the initial appointees of each nominating official 
shall serve an initial term of 2 years, and one of the initial 
appointees of each nominating official shall serve an initial term of 1 
year.
    (d) Appointment.--The members of the Board shall be appointed 
within 90 days of the date of enactment of this Act.
    (e) Consultation.--The Secretary, or a designee, shall from time to 
time, but at least annually, meet and consult with the Board on matters 
relating to the protection and restoration of the Preserve and 
potential and on-going research programs within the Preserve.
    (f) Compensation.--Members of the Board shall serve without 
compensation as such, but the Secretary is authorized to pay, upon 
vouchers signed by the Chair, the expenses reasonably incurred by the 
Board and its members in carrying out their responsibilities under this 
Act.
    (g) Vacancies.--Any vacancy in the Board shall be filled in the 
same manner in which the original appointment was made.

SEC. 7. ADMINISTRATION.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Forest Service, 
shall administer the Preserve as a separate unit within the National 
Forest system in accordance with the purposes and provisions of this 
Act.
    (b) Annual Recommendations.--The Secretary, in cooperation and 
consultation with the Secretary of the Interior and the Administrator 
of the Environmental Protection Agency (or their successors), shall 
make yearly recommendations to the President and to Congress on other 
areas to be designated National Forest Preserves.
    (c) Other Area Designations.--Any existing designated wilderness 
areas, wild and scenic rivers, or special management areas lying partly 
or wholly within the boundaries of the Preserve at the date of 
enactment shall retain such designation and shall continue to be 
managed accordingly. Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit 
designation of additional areas within the boundaries of the Preserve 
as wilderness or to prohibit their designation under similar protective 
status.
    (d) Management Plan.--Based on recommendations of the Board, within 
2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
publish a detailed and comprehensive management plan (``plan'') for the 
Preserve. The initial plan and subsequent plans shall be freestanding 
documents. The plans shall include but not be limited to--
            (1) measures for the preservation and restoration of the 
        ecological, botanical, zoological, biological, scientific, 
        aquatic, atmospheric, scenic and recreational resources of the 
        area; and
            (2) identification of all other measures intended to carry 
        out the purposes and provisions of this Act, including specific 
        delineation of planned administrative activities to carry out 
        the provisions of subsections (d) through (m) of section 6.
    (e) Transportation.--The Secretary, acting through the Forest 
Service and based upon recommendations of the Board, shall include as 
part of the plan a comprehensive transportation plan for the Preserve. 
In order to protect the natural features of the Preserve, reduce user 
conflicts, and ensure visitor safety, the Secretary is authorized, 
consistent with the purposes and provisions of the Act, to regulate and 
control times and means of access and use of the Preserve and parts 
thereof. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the use 
of motorized vehicles or aircraft for emergency and other essential 
administrative services, including those provided by State and local 
governments, or when necessary, for authorized scientific research:
            (1) Roads.--Based on recommendations by the Board, the 
        transportation plan shall include a detailed analysis of roads 
        needed to be retained and maintained for restorative, 
        recreational, interpretive, administrative, and scientific 
        purposes. Consistent with the purposes and provisions of this 
        Act, roads and associated developed facilities within the 
        Preserve shall be located in areas which were developed prior 
        to the establishment of the Preserve. To carry out the purposes 
        and provisions of this Act, particularly with regard to 
        wildlife protection and regeneration of the forest, the 
        transportation plan shall also include a program of permanent 
        road closures. The transportation plan shall indicate on which 
        remaining roads motorized travel and/or recreation, such as by 
        automobiles, 4-wheel drive vehicles, motorized dirt bikes or 
        snowmobiles, shall be allowed, as well as on which roads or 
        trails nonmotorized, mechanized vehicles, such as mountain 
        bikes, shall be allowed. The construction of new roads is 
        inconsistent with the purposes of this Act, but maintenance of 
        existing roads is allowed, as are improvements for reasons of 
        public safety and environmental protection.
            (2) Trails.--Based on recommendations by the Board and 
        consistent with the purposes and provisions of this Act, the 
        Secretary shall provide for appropriate nonmotorized, primitive 
        recreation opportunities within the Preserve, including 
        possible development of new trails and restoration and 
        maintenance of existing trails. The transportation plan shall 
        indicate which trails will be limited to nonmotorized, 
        nonmechanized recreation, such as by horseback, and which will 
        allow nonmotorized, mechanized recreation, such as by mountain 
        bike. Generally, there shall be no use of trails by motorized 
        vehicles (except in the case of motorized wheelchairs on trails 
        specifically designed and constructed for their use); 
        generally, use of motorized vehicles shall be restricted to 
        roads only as delineated in section 5(d)(1). The transportation 
        plan shall include provisions ensuring adequate and appropriate 
        recreational trail opportunities for disabled individuals.
    (f) Recreation and Interpretation.--Based on recommendations by the 
Board and consistent with the purposes and provisions of this Act, the 
Secretary shall provide for recreational use of the Preserve and shall 
provide recreational and interpretive facilities, including trails and 
campgrounds, for the use of the public. The Secretary may assist 
adjacent affected local governmental agencies in the development of 
related interpretive programs.
    (g) Regeneration.--Based on recommendations by the Board and 
consistent with the purposes and provisions of this Act, the Forest 
Service shall implement the regeneration plan required by the 
Stipulation for Entry of Judgment dated 12/27/89 in Sierra Club v. 
United States Forest Service, Case No. CVF-87-263 EDP. The objective of 
regenerating cut-over giant Sequoia Groves will be to restore these 
areas, as nearly as possible, to their former natural forest condition, 
provided that restoration activities have minimal negative impact on 
the root systems of the Giant Sequoias. Such work shall commence within 
1 year after the enactment of this Act and shall be completed within 5 
years after enactment.
    (h) Scientific Study and Research.--Based on recommendations by the 
Board and consistent with the purposes and provisions of this Act, the 
Secretary shall permit the use of the Preserve for scientific study and 
research, except that the Secretary may impose such restrictions as may 
be necessary to protect public health and safety and environmental 
well-being.
    (i) Fire Management.--Acting upon a fire policy and plan developed 
by the Board and consistent with the purposes and provisions of this 
Act, the Secretary may take action to reduce fuel load and restore 
native densities of the forest. A plan shall be written with a goal of 
eliminating fire control activities within the Preserve, except as 
necessary to protect life and property. Such plan must be implemented 
within 2 years of the date of enactment of this Act. Until such time as 
the Board determines native densities have been sufficiently restored, 
limited controlled burning may be allowed, consistent with the purposes 
and provisions of this Act, in accordance with the fire policy and plan 
noted above. Fuel reduction activities should not utilize tractors, 
motorized cables, or other such heavy ground equipment where such use 
would cause damage to Preserve soils, plant root systems, or wildlife 
habitat. Draft animals may be used where appropriate.
    (j) Hunting and Fishing.--Based on recommendations of the Board, 
the Secretary may permit hunting and fishing on lands and waters within 
the Preserve consistent with the purposes and provisions of this Act 
and in accordance with applicable Federal and State law. Consistent 
with the purposes and provisions of this Act, the Secretary may 
designate zones where and establish periods when no hunting or fishing 
shall be permitted for reasons of public health and safety, protection 
of resources, scientific research and activities, or public use and 
enjoyment. Except in emergencies, any regulations issued by the 
Secretary under this subsection shall be put into effect only after 
consultation with the appropriate State agencies responsible for 
hunting and fishing activities. Nothing in this subsection shall be 
construed as affecting the jurisdiction or responsibilities of the 
State of California with respect to wildlife and fish within the 
Preserve.
    (k) Timber Cutting.--(1) Consistent with the purposes and 
provisions of this Act, timber cutting shall not be permitted on 
Federal lands within the Preserve except for scientific study or as 
consistent with the fire plan as established by the Board. Timber 
cutting for scientific purposes shall in no case exceed \1/20\ of 1 
percent of the total Preserve acreage in any given year. Any timber 
cutting for scientific study must be approved by a \2/3\ majority vote 
of the Board. Timber cutting within 500 yards of Sequoia groves is 
prohibited. In no case shall any timber cutting be permitted for 
commercial purposes. No timber in the Preserve shall be included as 
part of any allowable sale quantity of timber.
    (2) The Secretary is authorized to buy out any existing signed 
timber contracts within the boundaries of the Preserve at the time of 
enactment, in accordance with applicable Federal law.
    (l) Mineral and Geothermal Leasing.--
            (1) Patents.--No patent may be issued under the mining or 
        geothermal laws of the United States after the date of 
        enactment of this Act for locations and claims made before the 
        enactment of this Act on Federal lands located within the 
        boundaries of the Preserve.
            (2) Administration.--All mineral and geothermal 
        exploration, filing of claims, extraction and/or development on 
        federally owned lands within the Preserve is prohibited.
            (3) Withdrawal.--Federal lands within the exterior boundary 
        of the Preserve are hereby withdrawn from all forms of 
        location, entry, and patent under the United States mining 
        laws, and from the operation of the mineral leasing laws of the 
        United States, including all laws pertaining to geothermal 
        leasing.
    (m) Water Rights.--(1) With respect to the Preserve designated by 
this Act, Congress hereby reserves a quantity of water sufficient to 
fulfill the purposes of this Act. The priority date of such reserved 
rights shall be the date of enactment of this Act.
    (2) The Secretary and all other officers of the United States shall 
take steps necessary to protect the rights reserved by paragraph (1), 
including the filing by the Secretary of a claim for the quantification 
of such rights in any present or future stream adjudication in the 
courts of the State of California in which the United States is or may 
be joined and which is conducted in accordance with the McCarran 
Amendment (43 U.S.C. 666).
    (3) Nothing in this Act shall be construed as a relinquishment or 
reduction of any water rights reserved or appropriated by the United 
States in the State of California on or before the date of enactment of 
this Act.
    (4) The Federal water rights reserved by this Act are specific to 
the Giant Sequoia National Forest Preserve located in the State of 
California designated by this Act. Nothing in this Act related to 
reserved Federal water shall be construed as establishing a precedent 
with regard to any future designations, nor shall it constitute an 
interpretation of any other Act or any designation made pursuant 
thereto.
    (n) Grazing Rights.--(1) Based on recommendations by the Board and 
consistent with the purposes and provisions of this Act, the Secretary 
may make allowances for grazing of cattle within the boundaries of the 
Preserve, provided that all such grazing shall be ended within 10 years 
of the date of enactment of this Act.
    (2) The Secretary is authorized to buy out any existing leases for 
cattle grazing within the boundaries of the Preserve or to allow use of 
comparable land on other National Forest lands in exchange for any 
existing leases for cattle grazing within the boundaries of the 
Preserve at the time of enactment of this Act, in accordance with 
applicable Federal law.
    (o) Public Safety.--Nothing in this Act shall prohibit the 
Secretary from undertaking or permitting those measures within the 
Preserve reasonably necessary to ensure public safety and prevent loss 
of life and property.

SEC. 8. ASSISTANCE TO COMMUNITIES.

    (a) Payments to Local Governments.--In the case of lands indicated 
under this Act for inclusion in the Preserve, in lieu of payments under 
the Act of May 23, 1908 (16 U.S.C. 500) and under chapter 69 of title 
31 of the United States Code, for each year (or portion of a year) 
after such acquisition, the Secretary shall make annual payments under 
this section to the local government of each political subdivision 
within the boundaries of which such lands are located which local 
government would have received real property tax revenues if such lands 
were privately rather than publicly held.
    (b) Amount of Payment.--The amount of the payment to be made to a 
local government under this section for any lands referred to in 
subsection (a) shall be equivalent to the real property tax which would 
be paid to the local government with respect to such lands in the 
fiscal year concerned if the lands were in private ownership and were 
to be used for timber production. For any parcel of property, such 
amount shall be referred to for purposes of this section as the ``tax-
equivalency amount''.
    (c) Uses of Payments.--At least one-half of all moneys paid to the 
local political subdivisions as the tax-equivalency amount under this 
Act shall be dedicated for the purpose of public education. Local 
political subdivisions receiving payments under this Act shall provide 
an annual accounting to the Secretary for all uses of such payments.
    (d) Determination of Amount.--For each fiscal year, the Secretary, 
after consultation with the Comptroller General, shall determine a 
proposed tax-equivalency amount for all lands within the Preserve. Upon 
determining the proposed tax-equivalency amount for any political 
subdivision, the Secretary shall notify the local government concerned. 
If the local government notifies the Secretary that the local 
government accepts the Secretary's estimate, the Secretary shall 
promptly make such payment to the local government.
    (e) Disputes.--If a local government objects to the Secretary's 
estimate of the tax equivalency amount proposed to be paid by the 
Secretary under this section for any fiscal year to that local 
government, the local government shall notify the Secretary in writing 
of the amount which the local government estimates to be the correct 
tax-equivalency amount. Upon receipt of such notice, the Secretary 
shall appoint an arbiter. The local government shall also appoint an 
arbiter. The arbiters appointed by the local government and the 
Secretary shall jointly appoint a third arbiter. The three arbiters 
shall comprise an arbitration panel which shall determine the tax 
equivalency amount to be paid under this section. The determination of 
the arbitration panel shall be binding on the Secretary and the local 
government and shall not be subject to judicial review, except as 
provided in sections 10 and 11 of title 9 of the United States Code.
    (f) Costs of Arbitration.--The costs of arbitration shall be paid 
by the Secretary, but if the tax-equivalency amount determined by an 
arbitration panel established under subsection (d) is closer to the 
amount specified by the Secretary than to the amount estimated by the 
local government, the costs of arbitration shall be deducted from the 
tax equivalency amount paid by the Secretary to the local government 
under this section.
    (g) Community Assistance Task Force.--(1) The Secretary shall 
establish a community assistance task force (hereinafter referred to as 
the ``task force'') to oversee assistance to local communities in those 
counties that include lands within the Preserve or contain facilities 
that mill timber therefrom at the time of enactment of this Act. Any 
local community in the region that is impacted by loss of Federal 
timber sales proven to result from implementation of this Act may 
request assistance from the task force. The task force shall verify the 
stated need for the claim and, if verified, provide the following types 
of assistance--
            (A) establishment of local community task forces, 
        retraining programs for workers, technical assistance, loans 
        and grants to help communities diversify their economies, and 
        job counseling and job placement services; and
            (B) the facilities, equipment, and personnel of the 
        agencies administered by the Secretary may be used to provide 
        such assistance.
    (2) The task force shall cease to exist 5 years after the date of 
its establishment by the Secretary.
    (3) Any worker displaced from a job in the timber industry in the 
immediate area as a direct consequence of this Act may request 
assistance from the task force.
    (4) The task force shall encourage and develop employment 
opportunities in forest ecosystem restoration, recreation, and other 
forms of employment compatible with the purposes and provisions of this 
Act.

SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are hereby authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out this Act.

                                 <all>

HR 2153 IH----2