[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1051 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1051

 To direct the Secretary of the Interior to carry out a demonstration 
program to assess potential water savings through control of Salt Cedar 
                           and Russian Olive.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 13, 2003

 Mr. Domenici (for himself, Mr. Reid, and Mr. Bingaman) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                      Environment and Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To direct the Secretary of the Interior to carry out a demonstration 
program to assess potential water savings through control of Salt Cedar 
                           and Russian Olive.

    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 Council Demonstration 
Act''.

SEC. 2. DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.

    (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 (``Secretary'') shall complete an assessment of the extent of 
Salt Cedar and Russian Olive invasion in the Western United States, 
past and on-going research on tested and innovative methods to control 
these phreatophytes, the feasibility of reducing water consumption, 
methods and challenges in land restoration, estimated costs 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.
    (b) Demonstration.--The Secretary will initiate a program of not 
fewer than 3 projects 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 and carried out over time frames and spatial scales large 
enough to:
            (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 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 or use of biomass;
            (5) define appropriate final vegetative states, optimal re-
        vegetation methods; and
            (6) methods to prevent regrowth and reintroduction of the 
        invasive species.
    (c) Costs.--The total cost of each project may not exceed, 
7,000,000 dollars including 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 
contributions including State agency provided services to the non-
Federal share of the costs.
    (d) Cooperation.--The Secretary shall use the expertise of 
institutions of higher education, state agencies, and soil water 
conservation districts that are actively conducting research on or 
implementing Salt Cedar and Russian Olive control activities and shall 
cooperate with other Federal agencies including the Department of 
Agriculture, Corp of Engineers, affected States, local units of 
government, and Indian tribes.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out the provisions 
of this Act $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2004, and such sums as are 
necessary for each fiscal year thereafter.
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