[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 150 (Thursday, October 23, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S13073-S13074]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST--H.R. 1904

  Mr. COCHRAN. Madam President, at the request of the majority leader, 
I ask unanimous consent that at a time to be determined by the majority 
leader, in consultation with the minority leader, the Senate proceed to 
the immediate consideration of H.R. 1904, the Healthy Forests 
Restoration Act, under the following limitations: That any amendments 
offered must be relevant to the underlying measure, and that any 
second-degree amendment be relevant to the first-degree amendment to 
which it is offered. I further ask unanimous consent that following the 
disposition of any amendments, the bill be read a third time and the 
Senate proceed to a vote on passage, with no intervening action or 
debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Nevada.
  Mr. REID. Madam President, reserving the right to object, I would ask 
that the distinguished Senator from Mississippi modify his request and 
just simply allow the bill to come to the floor at a time to be agreed 
upon by the majority leader after consultation with the Democratic 
leader, that the bill just come to the floor, period, with no 
restrictions on it.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Does the Senator accept that modification?
  Mr. COCHRAN. Madam President, I am not able to accept it on behalf of 
the majority leader. I made this request at the majority leader's 
request. This was written by the majority leader, so I am unable to 
make that modification.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. REID. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  Mr. COCHRAN. Madam President, the Healthy Forests Restoration Act, 
which is a bill that has been reported by the Agriculture Committee, is 
a comprehensive strategy to improve forest health on both public and 
private lands. The bill empowers Federal land managers to implement, in 
consultation with local communities, scientifically supported 
management practices on Federal forests. It establishes new 
conservation programs to improve water quality and regenerate privately 
owned forests.
  This bill will reduce the amount of time and expense required to 
conduct hazardous fuel projects, but it also mandates rigorous 
environmental analysis before any such projects are undertaken.
  Over the past few years, many lives have been lost and homes and 
communities destroyed by forest fires that could have been prevented. 
Instead of managing our national forests, the U.S. Forest Service has 
been forced to spend

[[Page S13074]]

inordinate amounts of time and effort fighting lawsuits. This has 
caused months and sometimes years of delays in fuel reduction projects. 
Our forests have continued to suffer, and they have continued to burn.
  I will offer an amendment to title I of the bill, if and when it is 
presented to the Senate, which contains several modifications to the 
committee bill. This amendment embodies recommendations made by a 
bipartisan group of Senators who are committed to getting this 
legislation passed and signed by the President.
  The amendment establishes a predecisional administrative review 
process. It allows an additional analysis under the National 
Environmental Policy Act. It directs the Secretary of Agriculture to 
give priority to communities and watersheds in hazardous fuel reduction 
projects. It contains new language protecting old-growth stands. It 
encourages the courts to expedite the judicial review process.
  The committee bill authorizes grant programs to encourage utilization 
of certain forest waste material. It provides financial and technical 
assistance to private forest land owners to encourage better management 
techniques to protect water quality.
  It also authorizes funding for the U.S. Forest Service, land grant 
institutions, and 1890 institutions to plan, promote, and conduct the 
gathering of information about insects that have caused severe damage 
to forest ecosystems. Also included in the bill is the Healthy Forest 
Reserve Program, which is a private forest land conservation initiative 
to support the restoration of declining forest ecosystem types that are 
critical to the recovery of threatened, endangered, and other sensitive 
species.
  Two titles were added to the House-passed bill by our committee. One 
would establish a public land corps to provide opportunities to young 
people for employment and, at the same time, provide a cost-effective 
and efficient means to implement rehabilitation and enhancement 
projects in local communities. The other title will promote investment 
in forest-resource-dependent communities.
  In essence, this legislation will provide new legal authority to help 
us manage the Nation's forests in a safer and more effective manner.
  I urge the Senate to support this bill.
  Madam President, I yield the remainder of the time allocated to me 
under the order to the distinguished Senator from Pennsylvania, Mr. 
Santorum.
  Mr. WYDEN addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oregon.
  Mr. WYDEN. Madam President, parliamentary inquiry: I believe the 
minority has 9 minutes left. I would like to respond to the remarks of 
the distinguished chairman of the Agriculture Committee.
  I ask the Senator from Pennsylvania, would that be acceptable?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Pennsylvania.
  Mr. SANTORUM. Madam President, parliamentary inquiry: How much time 
is left on both sides?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. There are 7 minutes remaining on the 
Republican side; 9 minutes remaining on the Democrat side.
  Mr. SANTORUM. Fine. If there is time remaining, I am happy to let the 
Senator stay on this subject.
  Mr. WYDEN. I thank my friend from Pennsylvania and, Madam President, 
ask to be recognized.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oregon.
  Mr. WYDEN. Thank you, Madam President.
  First, I express my appreciation to the distinguished chairman of the 
committee. I think he knows I agree with so much of what he just 
previously said.
  I want to emphasize, on this side of the aisle we believe there are 
60 votes to move forward on this legislation. We want to work 
constructively to get this done. The minority leader, Senator Daschle, 
has emphasized again and again how important it is to move forward with 
this legislation. We do want to address the concerns of the Members. We 
know a lot of Senators feel strongly about this issue. But it is 
absolutely imperative--absolutely imperative--Madam President and 
colleagues, that this bill get out of the Senate this year. That is my 
goal. I am going to put every ounce of my energy and strength into it.
  The reason I think the Senate ought to move forward with this 
legislation is the bipartisan compromise that has been discussed by the 
chairman of the committee steers, in my view, a narrow path through 20 
million acres of highly vulnerable forest land that lies close to 
highly vulnerable communities and their drinking water sources.
  I have already outlined this morning the five or six major ways in 
which this compromise differs from what has been considered in the 
House of Representatives.
  For example, under this legislation that has been crafted in a 
bipartisan way by a group of nine Senators, we have authorized an 
increase of 80 percent in funding for thinning projects. There has been 
tremendous concern all across the country that without adequate funding 
for thinning projects, the only people who would have the resources to 
do the work would be the large commercial logging companies. In our 
discussions among Senators, we said: There is a better way to proceed.
  That is why we came up with a funding proposal that sends a 
responsible message all across the country that this is not some sort 
of giveaway to big timber companies; this is something that represents 
responsible forestry. On provision after provision with respect to this 
compromise, we see those kinds of efforts to ensure that we strike a 
responsible balance.
  We have to make sure we protect our rural communities. The House 
legislation doesn't do that. The Senate compromise directs 50 percent 
of the funding to be spent inside the wildland and urban interface; the 
House bill is silent with respect to those funds. Again, we see an 
effort on the part of Senator Cochran, chairman of the committee, and 
the nine Senators who worked together on this legislation, to strike a 
reasonable compromise.
  The old-growth provisions are the first statutory protection ever for 
these trees that the American people feel so strongly about. There is a 
concrete incentive to get the old-growth protection in place. Under 
something for which I commend the chairman that is genuinely creative, 
we stipulate that the old forest plans actually have to be revised to 
protect the old growth in order for the thinning work to be done. So we 
have something which strikes a genuine balance, and it is done in a 
creative way.
  I said earlier that forestry issues are about as contentious as 
Middle Eastern politics. It is very difficult to find the common 
ground. We have done that in this area. This compromise ensures that 
the public will be involved in every single aspect of the debate with 
respect to forestry. That is something on which Senator Feinstein and I 
insisted. We have worked on this legislation for many months with 
Senator Domenici, chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources 
Committee. I hope we will move quickly and do it in a fashion that 
addresses the concerns of all Senators.
  There have been a number who have come to Chairman Cochran and me 
with ideas and suggestions. We want to hear from them. But we want this 
bill passed this year by the Senate. Senator Daschle has communicated 
that again and again and has been extremely constructive. Nobody is 
interested in an obstructionist kind of approach. This has to get done.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Pennsylvania.

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