[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2707 Introduced in House (IH)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2707

   To direct the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture, acting 
 through the U.S. Forest Service, to carry out a demonstration program 
  to assess potential water savings through control of Salt Cedar and 
     Russian Olive on forests and public lands administered by the 
        Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 10, 2003

Mr. Pearce (for himself, Mr. Stenholm, Mr. McInnis, Mrs. Wilson of New 
 Mexico, Mr. Hunter, Mr. Bonilla, Mr. Renzi, Mr. Cannon, Mr. Matheson, 
  Mr. Thornberry, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Moran of Kansas, and Mr. Osborne) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
   Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a 
 period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To direct the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture, acting 
 through the U.S. Forest Service, to carry out a demonstration program 
  to assess potential water savings through control of Salt Cedar and 
     Russian Olive on forests and public lands administered by the 
        Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service.

    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 ``Salt Cedar and Russian Olive Control 
Demonstration Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    (a) 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 Federal lands 
under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior and Indian 
lands.
    (b) Federal Lands.--The term ``Federal lands'' means the lands 
managed, administered, or owned by the Department of the Interior and 
the Department of Agriculture, National Forest System.
    (c) Western United States.--As defined by the 1902 Reclamation Act 
(43 U.S.C. Chapter 12), which includes Arizona, California, Colorado, 
Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nevada, New Mexico, 
Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

SEC. 3. DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM FOR ASSESSMENT AND CONTROL OF SALT CEDAR 
              AND RUSSIAN OLIVE IN WESTERN STATES.

    (a) Assessment.--Not later than 1 year after the date when funds 
are made available to carry out this section, the Secretary of the 
Interior, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture through the 
United States Forest Service, shall complete an assessment of the 
extent of Salt Cedar and Russian Olive invasion in those States in 
which the Bureau of Reclamation operates, past and present assessments 
and management options to control these phreatophytes, the feasibility 
of reducing water consumption, methods and challenges in land 
restoration estimated costs of all aspects of destruction, biomass 
removal, and restoration and maintenance, and shall identify long-term 
management and funding strategies that could be implemented by Federal, 
State and private land managers on all land management types, including 
national forest system lands created from the public domain.
    (b) Demonstration Projects.--The Secretary will initiate a program 
of not fewer than 3 projects, one which must be on national forest 
system land created from the public domain, to demonstrate and evaluate 
the most effective control methods, including at least one project 
primarily using air-born application of herbicides, at least one 
project using mechanical removal and at least one project using 
biocontrol such as goats or insects or any combination thereof. Each 
demonstration project shall be designed with integrated methods and 
carried over time frames and spatial scales large enough to accomplish 
the following:
            (1) Monitor and fully document the water saved due to 
        control of Salt Cedar and Russian Olive infestation and what 
        portions of the saved water returns to surface water or 
        groundwater supplies and at what rates.
            (2) Assess the optimum application approach and tools for 
        an array of control methods.
            (3) Assess all costs and benefits associated with the 
        control methods, land restoration and maintenance.
            (4) Determine what conditions indicate the need to remove 
        biomass and the optimal methods for disposal of use of biomass.
            (5) Define appropriate final vegetative states and optimal 
        re-vegetation methods.
            (6) Develop methods to prevent re-growth and reintroduction 
        of the invasive species.
    (c) Cost.--The total cost of each project may not exceed 
$7,000,000, including the costs of planning, design, implementation, 
maintenance, and monitoring. The Federal share of the costs of any 
activity funded under this program shall be no more than 65 percent of 
the total cost. The Secretary may apply the value of in-kind 
contribution, including State agency provided services, to the non-
Federal share of the costs. The Secretary shall report to Congress each 
year how funds are being spent, including what agencies receive grants.
    (d) Cooperation.--The Secretary shall use the expertise of 
institutions of higher education, State agencies, and soil water 
conservation districts that are actively conducting assessments on or 
implementing Salt Cedar and Russian Olive control activities and shall 
cooperate with other Federal agencies, including the Department of 
Agriculture and Army Corps of Engineers, affected States, local units 
of government, and Indian Tribes.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out the provisions of this Act $25,000,000 each 
year for fiscal year 2004 through fiscal year 2007.
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