[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S3273]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 6068. Mr. KING submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to
amendment SA 5890 submitted by Mr. Thune (for Mr. Curtis (for himself,
Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. Sheehy, and Mr. Padilla)) and intended to be
proposed to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal
year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for
military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of
Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year,
and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as
follows:
At the end of the amendment, add the following:
SEC. 5506. FOREST INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS MODERNIZATION.
(a) In General.--Section 3(e) of the Forest and Rangeland
Renewable Resources Research Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 1642(e))
is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1)--
(A) by striking ``their resources'' and inserting ``the
resources of those forests, including forest carbon,'';
(B) by striking ``In compliance'' and inserting the
following:
``(A) In general.--In compliance''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(B) Additional methods.--Under the program under this
subsection, the Secretary shall carry out, as a data
collection method--
``(i) a timber products output study; and
``(ii) a national woodland owner survey.'';
(2) in paragraph (3)(C), by inserting ``including with
respect to available forest carbon data,'' after ``2
decades,'';
(3) in paragraph (4)--
(A) in the second sentence, by striking ``The standards''
and inserting the following:
``(B) Inclusions.--The standards described in subparagraph
(A)'';
(B) by striking ``(4) National standards and definitions.--
To ensure'' and inserting the following:
``(4) National consistency.--
``(A) Standards and definitions.--To ensure''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(C) Terminology.--The Secretary shall include a clear
description of the definition of `forest' used for purposes
of reporting data from inventories and analyses of forests
and the resources of forests under this subsection with--
``(i) any data or report provided under the program under
this subsection;
``(ii) Renewable Resource Assessments prepared under
section 3(a) of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources
Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1601(a)); and
``(iii) any data or report provided to an entity outside
the United States.''; and
(4) by adding at the end the following:
``(7) Accessibility.--The Secretary shall ensure that data
collected under this subsection is--
``(A) presented in a manner that is easily accessible to
the general public and technical experts, including through
tools to deliver smaller area estimates; and
``(B) collected and made accessible using means that ensure
the confidentiality, in accordance with section 1770 of the
Food Security Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 2276), of--
``(i) plot locations;
``(ii) nonaggregated data of woodland owners; and
``(iii) nonaggregated data from the timber products output
survey carried out under paragraph (1)(B)(i).
``(8) Confidentiality of information.--All data collected
through the national timber products output survey and the
national woodland owners survey under paragraph (1)(B) shall
be considered confidential in accordance with section 1770 of
the Food Security Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 2276).
``(9) Annual compilations.--Annually, the Secretary shall
prepare and make publicly available a compilation of national
forest inventory and analysis forest statistics, which shall
be similar to the tables contained in the Renewable Resource
Assessments prepared under section 3(a) of the Forest and
Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C.
1601(a)) and accompanied by relevant geospatial products.
``(10) Reports.--Each year, the Secretary shall publish as
part of the forest inventory and analysis business report a
detailed description of the progress of the Secretary in
implementing the programmatic elements of the strategic plan
described in paragraph (6), including--
``(A) the costs and priorities of the strategic plan; and
``(B) how the program under this subsection leverages new
technology, improves and standardizes collection protocols,
and increases workforce capacity.''.
(b) Forest Inventory and Analysis Program Blue Ribbon
Panel.--Section 3 of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable
Resources Research Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 1642) is amended by
adding at the end the following:
``(f) Forest Inventory and Analysis Program Blue Ribbon
Panel.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
enactment of this subsection, the Secretary, in consultation
with the National Association of State Foresters, shall
convene a blue ribbon panel (referred to in this subsection
as the `Panel') to review the forest inventory and analysis
program established under this section (referred to in this
subsection as the `program').
``(2) Composition.--
``(A) Number.--The Panel shall be composed of not fewer
than 10, and not more than 20, members.
``(B) Members.--Members of the Panel shall--
``(i) include recognized national leaders from across State
and Federal agencies, universities, industry, and
nongovernmental organizations; and
``(ii) have knowledge of and expertise in forest
biometrics, inventory, and remote sensing technology.
``(3) Duties.--
``(A) Review.--The Panel shall conduct a review of the past
progress, current priorities, and future needs of the program
with respect to national monitoring of forest carbon, climate
change, forest health, and sustainable wood products.
``(B) Considerations.--The review under subparagraph (A)
shall include consideration of--
``(i) the modernization of the program--
``(I) broadly; and
``(II) specifically relating to the integration of advanced
remote sensing technologies and methods such as small area
estimation, remote sensing, spatial analysis techniques, and
other new technologies;
``(ii) the possibility of more public-private-academic
partnerships under the program to help meet the goals of the
program and external needs, particularly relating to research
priorities, operational implementation of current or ongoing
science, and decision support;
``(iii) a plan to implement nationally consistent data
collection protocols and procedures to improve the
statistical precision of base program estimates;
``(iv) pathways to integrate and report on changes in
forest carbon, including below-ground carbon;
``(v) a plan to improve transparency and clarity in
reporting in accordance with subsection (e)(4)(C);
``(vi) a plan to expand current data collection, further
integrate remote sensing technology, or both, to include
procedures to improve the statistical precision of estimates
at the sub-State level; and
``(vii) a plan to expand current data collection, further
integrate remote sensing technology, or both, to include
information on renewable biomass supplies and carbon stocks
at the local, State, regional, and national levels, including
by ownership type.
``(C) Report.--Not later than March 31, 2027, the Panel
shall submit to the Secretary, the Secretary of the Interior,
and Congress a report describing the review conducted under
subparagraph (A).
``(4) Administrative matters.--
``(A) Chairperson and vice chairperson.--The Panel shall
select a Chairperson and Vice Chairperson from among the
nongovernmental members of the Panel.
``(B) Committees.--The Panel may establish 1 or more
committees within the Panel as the Panel determines to be
appropriate.
``(C) Compensation.--A member of the Panel shall serve
without compensation.
``(D) Administrative support.--The Secretary shall provide
such administrative support as is necessary for the Panel to
carry out its duties.
``(E) Federal advisory committee act.--The Panel shall be
exempt from chapter 10 of title 5, United States Code
(commonly referred to as the `Federal Advisory Committee
Act').''.
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