[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3467 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3467

To address the protection of the California spotted owl and its habitat 
 in the Sierran Province of Region 5 of the Forest Service through the 
use of an interim management direction consistent with the requirements 
   of existing public land management and environmental laws and by 
  setting a date certain for the completion of a final environmental 
   impact statement for the management of the California spotted owl.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 17, 1998

 Mr. Doolittle (for himself, Mr. Young of Alaska, Mr. Smith of Oregon, 
 Mrs. Chenoweth, Mr. Riggs, Mr. Herger, Mr. Radanovich, Mr. Pombo, and 
 Mr. Thomas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                         Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To address the protection of the California spotted owl and its habitat 
 in the Sierran Province of Region 5 of the Forest Service through the 
use of an interim management direction consistent with the requirements 
   of existing public land management and environmental laws and by 
  setting a date certain for the completion of a final environmental 
   impact statement for the management of the California spotted owl.

    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 ``California Spotted Owl Interim 
Protection Act of 1998''.

SEC. 2. INTERIM AND FINAL CALIFORNIA SPOTTED OWL HABITAT PROTECTION.

    (a) Implementation of New Interim Management Direction.--Subject to 
subsection (b), not later than six months after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Forest Service shall begin using the 
preferred alternative contained in the revised version of the draft 
environmental impact statement prepared by the Forest Service in 1996 
for the California spotted owl as its interim management direction for 
the California spotted owl in the 10 national forests in the Sierran 
Province of Region 5 of the Forest Service. The Forest Service shall 
use such preferred alternative, modified as required in subsection (b), 
as its interim management direction until such time as a final 
environmental impact statement and record of decision are released as 
required by subsection (c).
    (b) Required Modification of Revised Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement.--Before implementation of the preferred alternative in the 
1996 revised draft environmental impact statement for the California 
spotted owl as the interim management direction for the California 
spotted owl in the 10 national forests in the Sierran Province of 
Region 5, the Forest Service shall reevaluate and modify the assessment 
regarding fire and fuels reduction contained in the revised draft 
environmental impact statement to address the concerns raised in the 
December 1997 final report of the panel of scientists that was 
appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture to review the revised draft 
environmental impact statement.
    (c) Time for Final Environmental Impact Statement.--Not later than 
18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Forest 
Service shall complete a final environmental impact statement and 
record of decision for the management of the California spotted owl in 
the 10 national forests in the Sierran Province of Region 5. To ensure 
the prompt completion of the final environmental impact statement, the 
Forest Service shall issue, not later than 12 months after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, a proposed final environmental impact 
statement for public comment and review.
    (d) Long-Term Conservation Strategy.--Nothing in this section shall 
preclude the Forest Service from developing a long-term conservation 
strategy for the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
    (e) Reporting Requirements.--At the end of the six-month period 
beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, and every six 
months thereafter, the Secretary of Agriculture shall submit to 
Congress a report describing the progress of the Forest Service toward 
completion of the final environmental impact statement within the time 
periods specified in subsection (c).
                                 <all>