[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1904 Reported in House (RH)]
Union Calendar No. 52
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1904
[Report No. 108-96, Parts I and II]
To improve the capacity of the Secretary of Agriculture and the
Secretary of the Interior to plan and conduct hazardous fuels reduction
projects on National Forest System lands and Bureau of Land Management
lands aimed at protecting communities, watersheds, and certain other
at-risk lands from catastrophic wildfire, to enhance efforts to protect
watersheds and address threats to forest and rangeland health,
including catastrophic wildfire, across the landscape, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 1, 2003
Mr. McInnis (for himself, Mr. Walden of Oregon, Mr. Pombo, Mr.
Goodlatte, Mr. Akin, Mr. Alexander, Mr. Ballenger, Mr. Barton of Texas,
Mr. Beauprez, Mr. Berry, Mr. Bishop of Utah, Mr. Blunt, Mr. Boehner,
Mr. Boozman, Mr. Brady of Texas, Mr. Burgess, Mr. Calvert, Mr. Cannon,
Mr. Cole, Mr. Cramer, Mrs. Cubin, Mr. Davis of Alabama, Mr. Doolittle,
Mr. Dooley of California, Mr. Duncan, Mrs. Emerson, Mr. Everett, Mr.
Flake, Mr. Gallegly, Mr. Gibbons, Mr. Gilchrest, Mr. Gingrey, Mr.
Graves, Mr. Green of Wisconsin, Mr. Gutknecht, Mr. Hastings of
Washington, Mr. Hayes, Mr. Hayworth, Mr. Hefley, Mr. Herger, Mr.
Hunter, Mr. Issa, Mr. Janklow, Mr. John, Mr. Jones of North Carolina,
Mr. Kolbe, Mr. LaHood, Mr. Lewis of California, Mr. Linder, Mr. McKeon,
Mr. Gary G. Miller of California, Mr. Moran of Kansas, Mrs. Musgrave,
Mr. Nethercutt, Mr. Norwood, Mr. Nunes, Mr. Oberstar, Mr. Otter, Mr.
Osborne, Mr. Ose, Mr. Pearce, Mr. Peterson of Minnesota, Mr. Peterson
of Pennsylvania, Mr. Pickering, Mr. Radanovich, Mr. Rehberg, Mr. Renzi,
Mr. Rogers of Alabama, Mr. Ross, Mr. Ryun of Kansas, Mr. Sandlin, Mr.
Sessions, Mr. Shadegg, Mr. Shimkus, Mr. Sherwood, Mr. Simpson, Mr.
Smith of Michigan, Mr. Souder, Mr. Stenholm, Mr. Stupak, Mr. Tancredo,
Mr. Taylor of North Carolina, Mr. Terry, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Thompson of
Mississippi, Mr. Thornberry, Mr. Tiahrt, Mr. Turner of Texas, Mr.
Tauzin, Mr. Vitter, Mr. Wicker, Mrs. Wilson of New Mexico, Mr. Wilson
of South Carolina, and Mr. Young of Alaska) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in
addition to the Committee on Resources, 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
May 9, 2003
Reported from the Committee on Agriculture
May 9, 2003
Referral to the Committee on Resources extended for a period ending not
later than May 9, 2003
May 9, 2003
Committee on Resources discharged
May 9, 2003
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary for a period ending not
later than May 16, 2003 for consideration of such provisions of the
bill as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee pursuant to
clause 1(k), rule X
May 16, 2003
Additional sponsors: Mr. Scott of Georgia, Mr. Bonner, Mr. Goode, Mr.
Bishop of Georgia, Mr. Cantor, Ms. Pryce of Ohio, Mr. Brown of South
Carolina, Mr. Barrett of South Carolina, Mr. Burns, Mr. Scott of
Virginia, Mr. Sweeney, Mrs. Jo Ann Davis of Virginia, Mr. Sam Johnson
of Texas, Mr. Pitts, Ms. Granger, Mr. Kline, Mr. Chocola, Mrs. Miller
of Michigan, Mr. Wamp, Mr. Tiberi, Mr. Foley, Mrs. Myrick, Mr. Lewis of
Kentucky, Mr. Houghton, Mr. Rohrabacher, Mr. Shuster, Mr. Cunningham,
Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Reynolds, Mr. Knollenberg, Mr. Carter, Mr. Cox, Mr.
Hoekstra, Mr. Camp, Mr. Putnam, Mr. Burton of Indiana, Mr. Coble, Mr.
Collins, Mr. Culberson, Mr. Deal of Georgia, Mr. Forbes, Mr. Rogers of
Kentucky, Mr. Paul, and Mr. Whitfield
May 16, 2003
Reported from the Committee on the Judiciary, committed to the
Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to
be printed
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To improve the capacity of the Secretary of Agriculture and the
Secretary of the Interior to plan and conduct hazardous fuels reduction
projects on National Forest System lands and Bureau of Land Management
lands aimed at protecting communities, watersheds, and certain other
at-risk lands from catastrophic wildfire, to enhance efforts to protect
watersheds and address threats to forest and rangeland health,
including catastrophic wildfire, across the landscape, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Healthy Forests
Restoration Act of 2003''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as
follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Purpose.
TITLE I--HAZARDOUS FUELS REDUCTION ON FEDERAL LANDS
Sec. 101. Definitions.
Sec. 102. Authorized hazardous fuels reduction projects.
Sec. 103. Prioritization for communities and watersheds.
Sec. 104. Environmental analysis.
Sec. 105. Special Forest Service administrative review process.
Sec. 106. Special requirements regarding judicial review of authorized
hazardous fuels reduction projects.
Sec. 107. Standard for injunctive relief for agency action to restore
fire-adapted forest or rangeland
ecosystems.
Sec. 108. Rules of construction.
TITLE II--BIOMASS
Sec. 201. Findings.
Sec. 202. Definitions.
Sec. 203. Grants to improve the commercial value of forest biomass for
electric energy, useful heat,
transportation fuels, and petroleum-based
product substitutes.
Sec. 204. Reporting requirement.
TITLE III--WATERSHED FORESTRY ASSISTANCE
Sec. 301. Findings and purpose.
Sec. 302. Establishment of watershed forestry assistance program.
TITLE IV--INSECT INFESTATIONS
Sec. 401. Definitions, findings, and purpose.
Sec. 402. Accelerated information gathering regarding bark beetles,
including Southern pine beetles, hemlock
woolly adelgid, emerald ash borers, red oak
borers, and white oak borers.
Sec. 403. Applied silvicultural assessments.
Sec. 404. Relation to other laws.
Sec. 405. Authorization of appropriations.
TITLE V--HEALTHY FORESTS RESERVE PROGRAM
Sec. 501. Establishment of healthy forests reserve program.
Sec. 502. Eligibility and enrollment of lands in program.
Sec. 503. Conservation plans.
Sec. 504. Financial assistance.
Sec. 505. Technical assistance.
Sec. 506. Safe harbor.
Sec. 507. Authorization of appropriations.
TITLE VI--MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
Sec. 601. Forest stands inventory and monitoring program to improve
detection of and response to environmental
threats.
SEC. 2. PURPOSE.
The purpose of this Act is--
(1) to reduce the risks of damage to communities, municipal
water supplies, and some at-risk Federal lands from
catastrophic wildfires;
(2) to authorize grant programs to improve the commercial
value of forest biomass for electric energy, useful heat,
transportation fuels, petroleum-based product substitutes and
other commercial purposes;
(3) to enhance efforts to protect watersheds and address
threats to forest and rangeland health, including catastrophic
wildfire, across the landscape;
(4) to promote systematic information gathering to address
the impact of insect infestations on forest and rangeland
health;
(5) to improve the capacity to detect insect and disease
infestations at an early stage, particularly with respect to
hardwood forests; and
(6) to protect, restore, and enhance degraded forest
ecosystem types in order to promote the recovery of threatened
and endangered species as well as improve biological diversity
and enhance carbon sequestration.
TITLE I--HAZARDOUS FUELS REDUCTION ON FEDERAL LANDS
SEC. 101. DEFINITIONS.
In this title:
(1) Authorized hazardous fuels reduction project.--The term
``authorized hazardous fuels reduction project'' means a
hazardous fuels reduction project described in subsection (a)
of section 102, subject to the remainder of such section, that
is planned and conducted using the process authorized by
section 104.
(2) Condition class 2.--The term ``condition class 2'',
with respect to an area of Federal lands, refers to the
condition class description developed by the Forest Service
Rocky Mountain Research Station in the general technical report
entitled ``Development of Coarse-Scale Spatial Data for
Wildland Fire and Fuel Management'' (RMRS-87), dated April
2000, under which--
(A) fire regimes on the lands have been moderately
altered from their historical range;
(B) there exists a moderate risk of losing key
ecosystem components from fire;
(C) fire frequencies have departed (either
increased or decreased) from historical frequencies by
one or more return interval, which results in moderate
changes to fire size, frequency, intensity, severity,
or landscape patterns; and
(D) vegetation attributes have been moderately
altered from their historical range.
(3) Condition class 3.--The term ``condition class 3'',
with respect to an area of Federal lands, refers to the
condition class description developed by the Rocky Mountain
Research Station in the general technical report referred to in
paragraph (2), under which--
(A) fire regimes on the lands have been
significantly altered from their historical range
(B) there exists a high risk of losing key
ecosystem components from fire;
(C) fire frequencies have departed from historical
frequencies by multiple return intervals, which results
in dramatic changes to fire size, frequency, intensity,
severity, or landscape patterns; and
(D) vegetation attributes have been significantly
altered from their historical range.
(4) Day.--The term ``day'' means a calendar day, except
that, if a deadline imposed by this title would expire on a
nonbusiness day, the deadline will be extended to the end of
the next business day.
(5) Decision document.--The term ``decision document''
means a decision notice or a record of decision, as those terms
are used in applicable regulations of the Council on
Environmental Quality and the Forest Service Handbook.
(6) Federal lands.--The term ``Federal lands'' means--
(A) National Forest System lands; and
(B) public lands administered by the Secretary of
the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Land
Management.
(7) Hazardous fuels reduction project.--The term
``hazardous fuels reduction project'' refers to the measures
and methods described in the definition of ``appropriate
tools'' contained in the glossary of the Implementation Plan.
(8) Implementation plan.--The term ``Implementation Plan''
means the Implementation Plan for the 10-year Comprehensive
Strategy for a Collaborative Approach for Reducing Wildland
Fire Risks to Communities and the Environment, dated May 2002,
which was developed pursuant to the conference report for the
Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations
Act, 2001 (House Report 106-646).
(9) Interface community and intermix community.--The terms
``interface community'' and ``intermix community'' have the
meanings given those terms on page 753 of volume 66 of the
Federal Register, as published on January 4, 2001.
(10) Municipal water supply system.--The term ``municipal
water supply system'' means the reservoirs, canals, ditches,
flumes, laterals, pipes, pipelines, or other surface facilities
and systems constructed or installed for the impoundment,
storage, transportation, or distribution of drinking water for
a community.
(11) Secretary concerned.--The term ``Secretary concerned''
means the Secretary of Agriculture with respect to National
Forest System lands and the Secretary of the Interior with
respect to public lands administered by the Bureau of Land
Management. Any reference in this title to the ``Secretary
concerned'', the Secretary of Agriculture'', or the ``Secretary
of the Interior'' includes the designee of the Secretary
concerned.
(12) Threatened and endangered species habitat.--The term
``threatened and endangered species habitat'' means Federal
lands identified in the listing decision or critical habitat
designation as habitat for a threatened species or an
endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
SEC. 102. AUTHORIZED HAZARDOUS FUELS REDUCTION PROJECTS.
(a) Authorized Projects.--Subject to the remainder of this section,
the Secretary concerned may utilize the process authorized by section
104 to plan and conduct hazardous fuels reduction projects on any of
the following Federal lands:
(1) Federal lands located in an interface community or
intermix community.
(2) Federal lands located in such proximity to an interface
community or intermix community that there is a significant
risk that the spread of a fire disturbance event from those
lands would threaten human life and property in the interface
community or intermix community.
(3) Condition class 3 or condition class 2 Federal lands
located in such proximity to a municipal water supply system or
a stream feeding a municipal water supply system that a
significant risk exists that a fire disturbance event would
have adverse effects on the water quality of the municipal
water supply, including the risk to water quality posed by
erosion following such a fire disturbance event.
(4) Condition class 3 or condition class 2 Federal lands
identified by the Secretary concerned as an area where
windthrow or blowdown, or the existence or threat of disease or
insect infestation, pose a significant threat to forest or
rangeland health or adjacent private lands.
(5) Federal lands not covered by paragraph (1), (2), (3),
or (4) that contain threatened and endangered species habitat,
but only if--
(A) natural fire regimes on such lands are
identified as being important for, or wildfire is
identified as a threat to, an endangered species, a
threatened species, or its habitat in a species
recovery plan prepared under section 4 of the
Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1533) or in a
decision document under such section determining a
species to be an endangered species or a threatened
species or designating critical habitat;
(B) the project will provide enhanced protection
from catastrophic wildfire for the species or its
habitat; and
(C) the Secretary complies with any applicable
guidelines specified in the species recovery plan
prepared under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
(b) Relation to Agency Plans.--An authorized hazardous fuels
reduction project shall be planned and conducted in a manner consistent
with the land and resource management plan or land use plan applicable
to the Federal lands covered by the project.
(c) Acreage Limitation.--Not more than a total of 20,000,000 acres
of Federal lands may be included in authorized hazardous fuels
reduction projects.
(d) Tree Removal Limitation.--The Secretary concerned, in the sole
discretion of the Secretary concerned, shall plan and conduct an
authorized hazardous fuels reduction project so as to maintain species
composition, size class distribution, and density of trees, including
old and large trees appropriate for each ecosystem type covered by the
project, consistent with the purposes of this title.
(e) Exclusion of Certain Federal Lands.--The Secretary concerned
may not plan or conduct an authorized hazardous fuels reduction project
that would occur on any of the following Federal lands:
(1) A component of the National Wilderness Preservation
System.
(2) Federal lands where, by Act of Congress or Presidential
proclamation, the removal of vegetation is prohibited or
restricted.
(3) Wilderness Study Areas.
(f) Protection of Roadless Areas.--The Secretary of Agriculture
shall not construct any new permanent road in any Inventoried Roadless
Area as part of any authorized hazardous fuels reduction project.
SEC. 103. PRIORITIZATION FOR COMMUNITIES AND WATERSHEDS.
As provided for in the Implementation Plan, the Secretary concerned
shall give priority to authorized hazardous fuel reduction projects
that provide for the protection of communities and watersheds.
SEC. 104. ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS.
(a) In General.--Except as otherwise provided in this title, the
Secretary concerned shall plan and conduct authorized hazardous fuels
reduction projects in accordance with the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4331 et seq.) and any other applicable laws.
(b) Discretionary Authority To Eliminate Alternatives.--In the case
of an authorized hazardous fuels reduction project, the Secretary
concerned is not required to study, develop, or describe any
alternative to the proposed agency action in the environmental
assessment or environmental impact statement prepared for the proposed
agency action pursuant to section 102(2) of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)).
(c) Public Notice and Meeting.--
(1) Public notice.--The Secretary concerned shall provide
notice of each authorized hazardous fuels reduction project in
accordance with applicable regulations and administrative
guidelines.
(2) Public meeting.--During the planning stage of each
authorized hazardous fuels reduction project, the Secretary
concerned shall conduct a public meeting at an appropriate
location proximate to the administrative unit of the Federal
lands in which the authorized hazardous fuels reduction project
will be conducted. The Secretary concerned shall provide
advance notice of the date and time of the meeting.
(d) Public Collaboration.--In order to encourage meaningful public
participation in the identification and development of authorized
hazardous fuels reduction projects, the Secretary concerned shall
facilitate collaboration among governments and interested persons
during the formulation of each authorized fuels reduction project in a
manner consistent with the Implementation Plan.
(e) Environmental Analysis and Public Comment.--In accordance with
section 102(2) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42
U.S.C. 4332(2)) and the applicable regulations and administrative
guidelines in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act, the
Secretary concerned shall provide an opportunity for public input
during the preparation of any environmental assessment or environmental
impact statement for proposed agency action for an authorized hazardous
fuels reduction project.
(f) Decision Document.--The Secretary concerned shall sign a
decision document for each authorized hazardous fuels reduction project
and provide notice of the decision document.
(g) Project Monitoring.--As provided for in the Implementation
Plan, the Secretary concerned shall monitor the implementation of
authorized hazardous fuels reduction projects.
SEC. 105. SPECIAL FOREST SERVICE ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW PROCESS.
(a) Development of Administrative Process.--Not later than 90 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of
Agriculture shall issue final regulations to establish an
administrative process that will serve as the sole means by which a
person described in subsection (c) can seek administrative redress
regarding an authorized hazardous fuels reduction project.
(b) Eligible Persons.--To be eligible to participate in the
administrative process developed pursuant to subsection (a) regarding
an authorized hazardous fuels reduction project, a person must have
submitted specific and substantive written comments during the
preparation stage of that authorized hazardous fuels reduction project.
(c) Relation to Appeals Reform Act.--Section 322 of the Department
of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1993 (Public
Law 102-381; 16 U.S.C. 1612 note), does not apply to an authorized
hazardous fuels reduction project.
SEC. 106. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS REGARDING JUDICIAL REVIEW OF AUTHORIZED
HAZARDOUS FUELS REDUCTION PROJECTS.
(a) Filing Deadline.--
(1) Time limit established for filing.--Notwithstanding any
other provision of law, to be timely, an action in a court of
the United States challenging an authorized hazardous fuels
reduction project shall be filed in the court before the end of
the 15-day period beginning on the date on which the Secretary
concerned publishes, in the local paper of record, notice of
the final agency action regarding the authorized hazardous
fuels reduction project. This time limitation supersedes any
notice of intent to file suit requirement or filing deadline
otherwise applicable to a challenge under any provision of law.
(2) Waiver prohibited.--The Secretary concerned may not
agree to, and a district court may not grant, a waiver of the
requirements of this subsection.
(b) Duration of Preliminary Injunction.--
(1) Duration; extension.--Any preliminary injunction
granted regarding an authorized hazardous fuels reduction
project shall be limited to 45 days. A court may renew the
preliminary injunction, taking into consideration the goal
expressed in subsection (c) for the expeditious resolution of
cases regarding authorized hazardous fuels reduction projects.
(2) Submission of information.--As part of a request to
renew a preliminary injunction granted regarding an authorized
hazardous fuels reduction project, the parties shall present
the court with an update on any changes that may have occurred
during the period of the injunction to the forest or rangeland
conditions that the authorized hazardous fuels reduction
project is intended to address.
(3) Congressional notification.--In the event of the
renewal of a preliminary injunction regarding an authorized
hazardous fuels reduction project, the Secretary concerned
shall submit notice of the renewal to the Committee on
Resources and the Committee on Agriculture of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and
Forestry of the Senate.
(c) Expeditious Completion of Judicial Review.--Congress intends
and encourages any court in which is filed a lawsuit or appeal of a
lawsuit concerning an authorized hazardous fuels reduction project to
expedite, to the maximum extent practicable, the proceedings in such
lawsuit or appeal with the goal of rendering a final determination on
jurisdiction, and if jurisdiction exists, a final determination on the
merits, within 100 days from the date the complaint or appeal is filed.
SEC. 107. STANDARD FOR INJUNCTIVE RELIEF FOR AGENCY ACTION TO RESTORE
FIRE-ADAPTED FOREST OR RANGELAND ECOSYSTEMS.
If an action brought against the Secretary concerned under section
703 of title 5, United States Code, involves an agency action on
Federal lands in which the Secretary concerned found that the agency
action is necessary to restore a fire-adapted forest or rangeland
ecosystem, including an authorized hazardous fuels reduction project,
the court reviewing the agency action, in considering a request for a
prohibitory or mandatory injunction against the agency action, shall--
(1) consider the public interest in avoiding long-term harm
to the ecosystem; and
(2) give deference to any agency finding, based upon
information in the administrative record, that the balance of
harm and the public interest in avoiding the short-term effects
of the agency action is outweighed by the public interest in
avoiding long-term harm to the ecosystem.
SEC. 108. RULES OF CONSTRUCTION.
(a) Relation to Other Authority.--Nothing in this title shall be
construed to affect, or otherwise bias, the use by the Secretary
concerned of other statutory or administrative authorities to plan or
conduct a hazardous fuels reduction project on Federal lands, including
Federal lands identified in section 102(e), that is not planned or
conducted using the process authorized by section 104.
(b) Relation to Legal Action.--Nothing in this title shall be
construed to prejudice or otherwise affect the consideration or
disposition of any legal action concerning the Roadless Area
Conservation Rule, part 294 of title 36, Code of Federal Regulations,
as amended in the final rule and record of decision published in the
Federal Register on January 12, 2001 (66 Fed. Reg. 3244).
TITLE II--BIOMASS
SEC. 201. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Thousands of communities in the United States, many
located near Federal lands, are at risk to wildfire.
Approximately 190,000,000 acres of land managed by the
Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior are
at risk of catastrophic fire in the near future. The
accumulation of heavy forest and rangeland fuel loads continues
to increase as a result of disease, insect infestations, and
drought, further raising the risk of fire each year.
(2) In addition, more than 70,000,000 acres across all land
ownerships are at risk to higher than normal mortality over the
next 15 years from insect infestation and disease. High levels
of tree mortality from insects and disease result in increased
fire risk, loss of old growth, degraded watershed conditions,
and changes in species diversity and productivity, as well as
diminished fish and wildlife habitat and decreased timber
values.
(3) Preventive treatments such as removing fuel loading,
ladder fuels, and hazard trees, planting proper species mix and
restoring and protecting early successional habitat, and other
specific restoration treatments designed to reduce the
susceptibility of forest and rangeland to insect outbreaks,
disease, and catastrophic fire present the greatest opportunity
for long-term forest and rangeland health by creating a mosaic
of species-mix and age distribution. Such prevention treatments
are widely acknowledged to be more successful and cost
effective than suppression treatments in the case of insects,
disease, and fire.
(4) The by-products of preventive treatment (wood, brush,
thinnings, chips, slash, and other hazardous fuels) removed
from forest and rangelands represent an abundant supply of
biomass for biomass-to-energy facilities and raw material for
business. There are currently few markets for the extraordinary
volumes of by-products being generated as a result of the
necessary large-scale preventive treatment activities.
(5) The United States should--
(A) promote economic and entrepreneurial
opportunities in using by-products removed through
preventive treatment activities related to hazardous
fuels reduction, disease, and insect infestation; and
(B) develop and expand markets for traditionally
underused wood and biomass as an outlet for by-products
of preventive treatment activities.
SEC. 202. DEFINITIONS.
In this title:
(1) Biomass.--The term ``biomass'' means trees and woody
plants, including limbs, tops, needles, and other woody parts,
and by-products of preventive treatment, such as wood, brush,
thinnings, chips, and slash, that are removed--
(A) to reduce hazardous fuels; or
(B) to reduce the risk of or to contain disease or
insect infestation.
(2) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian tribe'' has the
meaning given the term in section 4(e) of the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b(e)).
(3) Person.--The term ``person'' includes--
(A) an individual;
(B) a community (as determined by the Secretary
concerned);
(C) an Indian tribe;
(D) a small business, micro-business, or a
corporation that is incorporated in the United States;
and
(E) a nonprofit organization.
(4) Preferred community.--The term ``preferred community''
means--
(A) any town, township, municipality, or other
similar unit of local government (as determined by the
Secretary concerned) that--
(i) has a population of not more than
50,000 individuals; and
(ii) the Secretary concerned, in the sole
discretion of the Secretary concerned,
determines contains or is located near land,
the condition of which is at significant risk
of catastrophic wildfire, disease, or insect
infestation or which suffers from disease or
insect infestation; or
(B) any county that--
(i) is not contained within a metropolitan
statistical area; and
(ii) the Secretary concerned, in the sole
discretion of the Secretary concerned,
determines contains or is located near land,
the condition of which is at significant risk
of catastrophic wildfire, disease, or insect
infestation or which suffers from disease or
insect infestation.
(5) Secretary concerned.--The term ``Secretary concerned''
means--
(A) the Secretary of Agriculture with respect to
National Forest System lands; and
(B) the Secretary of the Interior with respect to
Federal lands under the jurisdiction of the Secretary
of the Interior and Indian lands.
SEC. 203. GRANTS TO IMPROVE THE COMMERCIAL VALUE OF FOREST BIOMASS FOR
ELECTRIC ENERGY, USEFUL HEAT, TRANSPORTATION FUELS, AND
PETROLEUM-BASED PRODUCT SUBSTITUTES.
(a) Biomass Commercial Use Grant Program.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary concerned may make grants to
any person that owns or operates a facility that uses biomass
as a raw material to produce electric energy, sensible heat,
transportation fuels, or substitutes for petroleum-based
products to offset the costs incurred to purchase biomass for
use by such facility.
(2) Grant amounts.--A grant under this subsection may not
exceed $20 per green ton of biomass delivered.
(3) Monitoring of grant recipient activities.--As a
condition of a grant under this subsection, the grant recipient
shall keep such records as the Secretary concerned may require
to fully and correctly disclose the use of the grant funds and
all transactions involved in the purchase of biomass. Upon
notice by a representative of the Secretary concerned, the
grant recipient shall afford the representative reasonable
access to the facility that purchases or uses biomass and an
opportunity to examine the inventory and records of the
facility.
(b) Value Added Grant Program.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary concerned may make grants to
persons to offset the cost of projects to add value to biomass.
In making such grants, the Secretary concerned shall give
preference to persons in preferred communities.
(2) Selection.--The Secretary concerned shall select a
grant recipient under paragraph (1) after giving consideration
to the anticipated public benefits of the project,
opportunities for the creation or expansion of small businesses
and micro-businesses, and the potential for new job creation.
(3) Grant amount.--A grant under this subsection may not
exceed $100,000.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated $25,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2004 through 2008
to carry out this section.
SEC. 204. REPORTING REQUIREMENT.
(a) Report Required.--Not later than October 1, 2010, the Secretary
of Agriculture, in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior,
shall submit to the Committee on Resources and the Committee on
Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy
and Natural Resources and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and
Forestry of the Senate a report describing the results of the grant
programs authorized by section 203.
(b) Contents of Report.--The report shall include the following:
(1) An identification of the size, type, and the use of
biomass by persons that receive grants under section 203.
(2) The distance between the land from which the biomass
was removed and the facility that used the biomass.
(3) The economic impacts, particularly new job creation,
resulting from the grants to and operation of the eligible
operations.
TITLE III--WATERSHED FORESTRY ASSISTANCE
SEC. 301. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) There has been a dramatic shift in public attitudes and
perceptions about forest management, particularly in the
understanding and practice of sustainable forest management.
(2) It is commonly recognized that the proper stewardship
of forest lands is essential to sustaining and restoring the
health of watersheds.
(3) Forests can provide essential ecological services in
filtering pollutants, buffering important rivers and estuaries,
and minimizing flooding, which makes its restoration worthy of
special focus.
(4) Strengthened education, technical assistance, and
financial assistance to nonindustrial private forest landowners
and communities, relating to the protection of watershed
health, is needed to realize the expectations of the general
public.
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this title is to--
(1) improve landowner and public understanding of the
connection between forest management and watershed health;
(2) encourage landowners to maintain tree cover on their
property and to utilize tree plantings and vegetative
treatments as creative solutions to watershed problems
associated with varying land uses;
(3) enhance and complement forest management and buffer
utilization for watersheds, with an emphasis on urban
watersheds;
(4) establish new partnerships and collaborative watershed
approaches to forest management, stewardship, and conservation;
(5) provide technical and financial assistance to States to
deliver a coordinated program that enhances State forestry
best-management practices programs, as well as conserves and
improves forested lands and potentially forested lands through
technical, financial, and educational assistance to qualifying
individuals and entities; and
(6) maximize the proper management and conservation of
wetland forests and to assist in their restoration as
necessary.
SEC. 302. ESTABLISHMENT OF WATERSHED FORESTRY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
The Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 is amended by
inserting after section 5 the following new section:
``SEC. 6. WATERSHED FORESTRY ASSISTANCE.
``(a) General Authority and Purpose.--The Secretary, acting through
the Forest Service, may provide technical, financial, and related
assistance to State foresters and equivalent State officials for the
purpose of expanding State forest stewardship capacities and activities
through State forestry best-management practices and other means at the
State level to address watershed issues on non-Federal forested lands
and potentially forested lands.
``(b) Technical Assistance To Protect Water Quality.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary, in cooperation with State
foresters or equivalent State officials, shall engage
interested members of the public, including nonprofit
organizations and local watershed councils, to develop a
program of technical assistance to protect water quality, as
described in paragraph (2).
``(2) Purpose of program.--The program under this
subsection shall be designed--
``(A) to build and strengthen watershed
partnerships that focus on forested landscapes at the
local, State, and regional levels;
``(B) to provide State forestry best-management
practices and water quality technical assistance
directly to nonindustrial private forest landowners;
``(C) to provide technical guidance to land
managers and policy makers for water quality protection
through forest management;
``(D) to complement State and local efforts to
protect water quality and provide enhanced
opportunities for consultation and cooperation among
Federal and State agencies charged with responsibility
for water and watershed management; and
``(E) to provide enhanced forest resource data and
support for improved implementation and monitoring of
State forestry best-management practices.
``(3) Implementation.--The program of technical assistance
shall be implemented by State foresters or equivalent State
officials.
``(c) Watershed Forestry Cost-Share Program.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish a
watershed forestry cost-share program to be administered by the
Forest Service and implemented by State foresters or equivalent
State officials. Funds or other support provided under such
program shall be made available for State forestry best-
management practices programs and watershed forestry projects.
``(2) Watershed forestry projects.--The State forester or
equivalent State official of a State, in coordination with the
State Forest Stewardship Coordinating Committee established
under section 19(b) for that State, shall annually make awards
to communities, nonprofit groups, and nonindustrial private
forest landowners under the program for watershed forestry
projects described in paragraph (3).
``(3) Project elements and objectives.--A watershed
forestry project shall accomplish critical forest stewardship,
watershed protection, and restoration needs within a State by
demonstrating the value of trees and forests to watershed
health and condition through--
``(A) the use of trees as solutions to water
quality problems in urban and rural areas;
``(B) community-based planning, involvement, and
action through State, local and nonprofit partnerships;
``(C) application of and dissemination of
monitoring information on forestry best-management
practices relating to watershed forestry;
``(D) watershed-scale forest management activities
and conservation planning; and
``(E) the restoration of wetland (as defined by the
States) and stream-side forests and the establishment
of riparian vegetative buffers.
``(4) Cost-sharing.--Funds provided under this subsection
for a watershed forestry project may not exceed 75 percent of
the cost of the project. Other Federal funding sources may be
used to cover a portion of the remaining project costs, but the
total Federal share of the costs may not exceed 90 percent. The
non-Federal share of the costs of a project may be in the form
of cash, services, or other in-kind contributions.
``(5) Prioritization.--The State Forest Stewardship
Coordinating Committee for a State shall prioritize watersheds
in that State to target watershed forestry projects funded
under this subsection.
``(6) Watershed forester.--Financial and technical
assistance shall be made available to the State Forester or
equivalent State official to create a State best-management
practice forester to lead statewide programs and coordinate
small watershed-level projects.
``(d) Distribution.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall devote at least 75
percent of the funds appropriated for a fiscal year pursuant to
the authorization of appropriations in subsection (e) to the
cost-share program under subsection (c) and the remainder to
the task of delivering technical assistance, education, and
planning on the ground through the State Forester or equivalent
State official.
``(2) Special considerations.--Distribution of these funds
by the Secretary among the States shall be made only after
giving appropriate consideration to--
``(A) the acres of nonindustrial private forestland
and highly erodible land in each State;
``(B) each State's efforts to conserve forests;
``(C) the acres of forests in each State that have
been lost or degraded or where forests can play a role
in restoring watersheds; and
``(D) the number of nonindustrial private forest
landowners in each State.
``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $15,000,000 for each of the
fiscal years 2004 through 2008.''.
TITLE IV--INSECT INFESTATIONS
SEC. 401. DEFINITIONS, FINDINGS, AND PURPOSE.
(a) Definitions.--In this title:
(1) Applied silvicultural assessment.--The term ``applied
silvicultural assessment'' means any vegetative or other
treatment, for the purposes described in section 402, including
timber harvest, thinning, prescribed burning, and pruning, as
single treatment or any combination of these treatments.
(2) Federal lands.--The term ``Federal lands'' means--
(A) National Forest System lands; and
(B) public lands administered by the Secretary of
the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Land
Management.
(3) Secretary concerned.--The term ``Secretary concerned''
means--
(A) the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through
the Forest Service, with respect to National Forest
System lands; and
(B) the Secretary of the Interior, acting through
appropriate offices of the United States Geological
Survey, with respect to federally owned land
administered by the Secretary of the Interior.
(4) 1890 institutions.--The term ``1890 Institution'' means
a college or university eligible to receive funds under the Act
of August 30, 1890 (7 U.S.C. 321 et seq.), including Tuskegee
University.
(b) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) High levels of tree mortality due to insect infestation
result in--
(A) increased fire risk;
(B) loss of old growth;
(C) loss of threatened and endangered species;
(D) loss of species diversity;
(E) degraded watershed conditions;
(F) increased potential for damage from other
agents of disturbance, including exotic, invasive
species; and
(G) decreased timber values.
(2) Bark beetles destroy hundreds of thousands of acres of
trees each year. In the West, over 21,000,000 acres are at high
risk of bark beetle infestation and in the South over
57,000,000 acres are at risk across all land ownerships. Severe
drought conditions in many areas of the South and West will
increase risk of bark beetle infestations.
(3) The hemlock woolly adelgid is destroying streamside
forests throughout the mid-Atlantic and Appalachian region,
threatening water quality and sensitive aquatic species, and
posing a potential threat to valuable commercial timber lands
in Northern New England.
(4) The emerald ash borer is a nonnative, invasive pest
that has quickly become a major threat to hardwood forests as a
emerald ash borer infestation is almost always fatal to the
affected trees. This pest threatens to destroy over 692,000,000
ash trees in forests in Michigan and Ohio alone, and between
five and ten percent of urban street trees in the Upper
Midwest.
(5) Epidemic populations of Southern pine beetle are
ravaging forests in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia,
Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina,
Tennessee, and Virginia. In 2001, Florida and Kentucky
experienced 146 percent and 111 percent increases,
respectively, in beetle populations.
(6) These epidemic outbreaks of Southern pine beetle have
forced private landowners to harvest dead and dying trees, in
both rural areas and increasingly urbanized settings.
(7) According to the Forest Service, recent outbreaks of
the red oak borer in Arkansas have been unprecedented, with
almost 800,000 acres infested at population levels never seen
before.
(8) Much of the damage from the red oak borer has taken
place in National forests, and the Federal response has been
inadequate to protect forest ecosystems and other ecological
and economic resources.
(9) Previous silvicultural assessments, while useful and
informative, have been limited in scale and scope of
application, and there has not been sufficient resources
available to adequately test a full array of individual and
combined applied silvicultural assessments.
(10) Only through the rigorous funding, development, and
assessment of potential applied silvicultural assessments over
specific time frames across an array of environmental and
climatic conditions can the most innovative and cost effective
management applications be determined that will help reduce the
susceptibility of forest ecosystems to attack by forest pests.
(11) Funding and implementation of an initiative to combat
forest pest infestations should not come at the expense of
supporting other programs and initiatives of the Secretary
concerned.
(c) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this title--
(1) to require the Secretary concerned to develop an
accelerated basic and applied assessment program to combat
infestations by bark beetles, including Southern pine beetles,
hemlock woolly adelgids, emerald ash borers, red oak borers,
and white oak borers;
(2) to enlist the assistance of universities and forestry
schools, including Land Grant Colleges and Universities and
1890 Institutions, to carry out the program; and
(3) to carry out applied silvicultural assessments.
SEC. 402. ACCELERATED INFORMATION GATHERING REGARDING BARK BEETLES,
INCLUDING SOUTHERN PINE BEETLES, HEMLOCK WOOLLY ADELGIDS,
EMERALD ASH BORERS, RED OAK BORERS, AND WHITE OAK BORERS.
(a) Information Gathering.--The Secretary concerned shall
establish, acting through the Forest Service and United States
Geological Survey, as appropriate, an accelerated program--
(1) to plan, conduct, and promote comprehensive and
systematic information gathering on bark beetles, including
Southern pine beetles, hemlock woolly adelgids, emerald ash
borers, red oak borers, and white oak borers, including an
evaluation of--
(A) infestation prevention and control methods;
(B) effects of infestations on forest ecosystems;
(C) restoration of the forest ecosystem efforts;
(D) utilization options regarding infested trees;
and
(E) models to predict the occurrence, distribution,
and impact of outbreaks of bark beetles, including
Southern pine beetles, hemlock woolly adelgids, emerald
ash borers, red oak borers, and white oak borers;
(2) to assist land managers in the development of
treatments and strategies to improve forest health and reduce
the susceptibility of forest ecosystems to severe infestations
of bark beetles, including Southern pine beetles, hemlock
woolly adelgids, emerald ash borers, red oak borers, and white
oak borers on Federal lands and State and private lands; and
(3) to disseminate the results of such information
gathering, treatments, and strategies.
(b) Cooperation and Assistance.--The Secretary concerned shall
establish and carry out the program in cooperation with scientists from
universities and forestry schools, State agencies, and private and
industrial land owners. The Secretary concerned shall designate
universities and forestry schools, including Land Grant Colleges and
Universities and 1890 Institutions, to assist in carrying out the
program.
SEC. 403. APPLIED SILVICULTURAL ASSESSMENTS.
(a) Assessment Efforts.--For information gathering purposes, the
Secretary concerned may conduct applied silvicultural assessments on
Federal lands that the Secretary concerned determines, in the sole
discretion of the Secretary concerned, is at risk of infestation by,
or is infested with, bark beetles, including Southern pine beetles,
hemlock woolly adelgids, emerald ash borers, red oak borers, and white
oak borers. Any applied silvicultural assessments carried out under
this section shall be conducted on not more than 1,000 acres per
assessment.
(b) Limitations.--
(1) Exclusion of certain areas.--Subsection (a) does not
apply to--
(A) a component of the National Wilderness
Preservation System;
(B) Federal lands where, by Act of Congress or
Presidential proclamation, the removal of vegetation is
restricted or prohibited; or
(C) congressionally designated wilderness study
areas.
(2) Certain treatment prohibited.--Subsection (a) does not
authorize the application of insecticides in municipal
watersheds and associated riparian areas.
(3) Acreage limitation.--Applied silvicultural assessments
may be implemented on not more than 250,000 acres using the
authorities provided by this title.
(c) Public Notice and Comment.--
(1) Public notice.--The Secretary concerned shall provide
notice of each applied silvicultural assessment proposed to be
carried out under this section in accordance with applicable
regulations and administrative guidelines.
(2) Public comment.--During the planning stage of each
applied silvicultural assessment proposed to be carried out
under this section, the Secretary concerned shall provide an
opportunity for public input.
(d) Categorical Exclusion.--Applied silvicultural assessments
carried out under this section are deemed to be categorically excluded
from further analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). The Secretary concerned need not make
any findings as to whether the project, either individually or
cumulatively, has a significant effect on the environment.
SEC. 404. RELATION TO OTHER LAWS.
The authorities provided to the Secretary concerned by this title
are supplemental to their respective authorities provided in any other
law.
SEC. 405. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated for fiscal years 2004
through 2008 such sums as may be necessary to carry out this title.
TITLE V--HEALTHY FORESTS RESERVE PROGRAM
SEC. 501. ESTABLISHMENT OF HEALTHY FORESTS RESERVE PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall establish
the healthy forests reserve program as a program within the Forest
Service for the purpose of protecting, restoring, and enhancing
degraded forest ecosystems to promote the recovery of threatened and
endangered species as well as improve biodiversity and enhance carbon
sequestration.
(b) Cooperation.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall carry out the
healthy forests reserve program in cooperation with the Secretary of
the Interior, acting through the United States Fish and Wildlife
Service.
SEC. 502. ELIGIBILITY AND ENROLLMENT OF LANDS IN PROGRAM.
(a) Eligible Lands.--The Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation
with the Secretary of the Interior, shall designate rare forest
ecosystems to be eligible for the healthy forests reserve program. The
following lands are eligible for enrollment in the healthy forests
reserve program:
(1) Private lands whose enrollment will protect, restore,
enhance, or otherwise measurably increase the likelihood of
recovery of an endangered species or threatened species in the
wild.
(2) Private lands whose enrollment will protect, restore,
enhance, or otherwise measurably increase the likelihood of the
recovery of an animal or plant species before the species
reaches threatened or endangered status, such as candidate,
State-listed species, rare, peripheral, and special concern
species.
(b) Other Considerations.--In enrolling lands that satisfy the
criteria in paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (a), the Secretary of
Agriculture shall give additional consideration to those lands whose
enrollment will also improve biological diversity and increase carbon
sequestration.
(c) Enrollment by Willing Owners.--The Secretary of Agriculture
shall enroll lands in the healthy forests reserve program only with the
consent of the owner of the lands.
(d) Maximum Enrollment.--The total number of acres enrolled in the
healthy forests reserve program shall not exceed 1,000,000 acres.
(e) Methods of Enrollment.--Lands may be enrolled in the healthy
forests reserve program pursuant to a 10-year cost-share agreement, a
30-year easement, or a permanent easement with buyback option. The
extent to which each enrollment method is used shall be based on the
approximate proportion of owner interest expressed in that method in
comparison to the other methods.
(f) Enrollment Priority.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall give
priority to the enrollment of lands that, in the sole discretion of the
Secretary, will provide the best opportunity to resolve conflicts
between the presence of an animal or plant species referred to in
paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (a) and otherwise lawful land use
activities.
SEC. 503. CONSERVATION PLANS.
(a) Plan Required.--Lands enrolled in the healthy forests reserve
program shall be subject to a conservation plan, to be developed
jointly by the land owner and the United States Fish and Wildlife
Service. The conservation plan shall include a description of the land-
use activities that are permissible on the enrolled lands.
(b) Involvement by Other Agencies and Organizations.--A State fish
and wildlife agency, State forestry agency, State environmental quality
agency, and other State conservation agencies and nonprofit
conservation organizations may assist in providing technical or
financial assistance, or both, for the development and implementation
of conservation plans.
(c) Cost Effectiveness.--The conservation plan shall maximize the
environmental benefits per dollar expended.
SEC. 504. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.
(a) Permanent Easement With Buyback Option.--
(1) Payment amount.--In the case of land enrolled in the
healthy forests reserve program using a permanent easement with
a buyback option, the Secretary of Agriculture shall pay the
owner of the land an amount equal to--
(A) the fair market value of the enrolled land less
the fair market value of the land encumbered by the
easement; plus
(B) the actual costs of the approved conservation
practices or the average cost of approved practices, as
established by the Secretary.
(2) Buyback option.--Beginning on the 50th anniversary of
the enrollment of the land, and every 10th-year thereafter, the
owner shall be able to purchase the easement back from the
United States at a rate equal to the fair market value of the
easement plus the costs, adjusted for inflation, of the
approved conservation practices.
(b) 30-Year Easement.--In the case of land enrolled in the healthy
forests reserve program using a 30-year easement, the Secretary of
Agriculture shall pay the owner of the land an amount equal to--
(1) 75 percent of the fair market value of the land less
the fair market value of the land encumbered by the easement;
plus
(2) 75 percent of the actual costs of the approved
conservation practices or 75 percent of the average cost of
approved practices, as established by the Secretary.
(c) 10-Year Agreement.--In the case of land enrolled in the healthy
forests reserve program using a 10-year cost-share agreement, the
Secretary of Agriculture shall pay the owner of the land an amount
equal to--
(1) 75 percent of the actual costs of the approved
conservation practices; or
(2) 75 percent of the average cost of approved practices,
as established by the Secretary.
(d) Acceptance of Contributions.--The Secretary of Agriculture may
accept and use contributions of non-Federal funds to make payments
under this section.
SEC. 505. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.
The Forest Service and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
shall provide landowners with technical assistance to comply with the
terms of agreements and easements under the healthy forests reserve
program and conservation plans.
SEC. 506. SAFE HARBOR.
In implementing the healthy forests reserve program, the Secretary
of the Interior shall provide safe harbor or similar assurances,
through section 7 or other authorities under the Endangered Species Act
of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), consistent with the implementing
regulations of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, to
landowners who enroll land in the healthy forests reserve program when
such enrollment will result in a net conservation benefit for listed
species.
SEC. 507. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated $15,000,000 for each of the
fiscal years 2004 through 2008 to carry out this title.
TITLE VI--MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
SEC. 601. FOREST STANDS INVENTORY AND MONITORING PROGRAM TO IMPROVE
DETECTION OF AND RESPONSE TO ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall carry out a
comprehensive program to inventory, monitor, characterize, assess, and
identify forest stands (with emphasis on hardwood forest stands) and
potential forest stands--
(1) in units of the National Forest System (other than
those units created from the public domain); and
(2) on private forest land, with the consent of the owner
of the land.
(b) Issues To Be Addressed.--In carrying out the program, the
Secretary shall address issues including--
(1) early detection, identification, and assessment of
environmental threats (including insect, disease, invasive
species, fire, and weather-related risks and other episodic
events);
(2) loss or degradation of forests;
(3) degradation of the quality forest stands caused by
inadequate forest regeneration practices;
(4) quantification of carbon uptake rates; and
(5) management practices that focus on preventing further
forest degradation.
(c) Early Warning System.--In carrying out the program, the
Secretary shall develop a comprehensive early warning system for
potential catastrophic environmental threats to forests to increase the
likelihood that forest managers will be able to--
(1) isolate and treat a threat before the threat gets out
of control; and
(2) prevent epidemics, such as the American chestnut blight
in the first half of the twentieth century, that could be
environmentally and economically devastating to forests.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for each of the
fiscal years 2004 through 2008.
Union Calendar No. 52
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1904
[Report No. 108-96, Parts I and II]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To improve the capacity of the Secretary of Agriculture and the
Secretary of the Interior to plan and conduct hazardous fuels reduction
projects on National Forest System lands and Bureau of Land Management
lands aimed at protecting communities, watersheds, and certain other
at-risk lands from catastrophic wildfire, to enhance efforts to protect
watersheds and address threats to forest and rangeland health,
including catastrophic wildfire, across the landscape, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
May 16, 2003
Reported from the Committee on the Judiciary, committed to the
Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to
be printed