Amends the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) and the Secretary of the Interior, as appropriate, to implement procedures to ensure that not less than 600,000 acres of federal land each fiscal year are treated with mechanical treatments intended to produce merchantable wood.
Directs the Secretary to: (1) declare that emergency circumstances exist for all federal land affected by a catastrophic event, including federal land outside urban interface areas; and (2) take actions necessary for the rehabilitation or restoration of such federal land, with highest priority given to land impacted by large-scale beetle infestations.
Directs the Secretary to initiate salvage activities on federal land affected by a catastrophic event so as to prevent significant deterioration of timber values, development of significant fire hazard, or other forest mortality that would prevent such land from regenerating to forest within five years.
Excludes from the provisions of this Act: (1) a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System; (2) federal land on which the removal of vegetation is prohibited or restricted by Congress, the President, or a land management plan; or (3) a wilderness study area.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1511 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1511
To amend the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to promote timely
emergency rehabilitation and restoration of Federal forest land
impacted by catastrophic events, to redirect for a 5-year period
funding normally made available for land acquisition to mechanical
forest treatment and salvage operations due to catastrophic events, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 11, 2013
Mrs. Noem introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Natural
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
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to promote timely
emergency rehabilitation and restoration of Federal forest land
impacted by catastrophic events, to redirect for a 5-year period
funding normally made available for land acquisition to mechanical
forest treatment and salvage operations due to catastrophic events, 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. EMERGENCY FOREST REHABILITATION AND RESTORATION.
Title VI of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C.
6591) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 602. EMERGENCY FOREST REHABILITATION AND RESTORATION.
``(a) Definition.--In this section:
``(1) Catastrophic event.--
``(A) In general.--The term `catastrophic event'
means any natural disaster or any fire, flood, or
explosion, regardless of cause, that the Secretary
determines has caused or has the potential to cause
damage of significant severity and magnitude to Federal
land.
``(B) Natural disaster.--For purposes of
subparagraph (A), a natural disaster, as determined by
the Secretary, may include a hurricane, tornado,
windstorm, snow or ice storm, rain storm, high water,
wind-driven water, tidal wave, earthquake, volcanic
eruption, landslide, mudslide, drought, or insect or
disease outbreak.
``(2) Secretary.--The term `Secretary' has the meaning
given the term in section 101.
``(b) Mechanical Forest Treatment.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall implement such
procedures as are necessary to ensure that not less than
600,000 acres of Federal land each fiscal year are treated with
mechanical treatments intended to produce merchantable wood.
``(2) Funding.--The Secretary shall use to carry out
paragraph (1)--
``(A) funds described in subsection (f)(3); and
``(B) any other funds made available for the
purposes described in paragraph (1).
``(c) Emergency Circumstances.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall--
``(A) declare that emergency circumstances exist
for all Federal land subject to the effects of a
catastrophic event, including on Federal land outside
urban interface areas; and
``(B) as soon as practicable, take all actions
necessary for the rehabilitation or restoration of the
Federal land, with highest priority given to Federal
land impacted by large-scale beetle infestations.
``(2) Emergency alternative arrangements.--In accordance
with section 220.4 of title 36, Code of Federal Regulations and
section 1506.11 of title 40, Code of Federal Regulations (or
successor regulations), for any Federal land for which the
Secretary declares the existence of emergency circumstances
under paragraph (1), the Secretary may use emergency
alternative arrangements to comply with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).
``(3) Limitation on administrative appeals.--
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no administrative
appeal shall be allowed for any action classified as an
emergency alternative arrangement under paragraph (2) or a
categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) due to emergency
circumstances declared under paragraph (1).
``(d) Catastrophic Events.--
``(1) In general.--As soon as practicable during but not
later than 30 days after the conclusion of a catastrophic
event, the Secretary shall initiate timely salvage activities
on the Federal land affected by the catastrophic event so as to
prevent significant deterioration of timber values, development
of significant fire hazard, or other forest mortality that
would prevent the Federal land from regenerating to forest
within 5 years.
``(2) Funding.--The Secretary shall use to carry out
paragraph (1)--
``(A) funds described in subsection (f)(3); and
``(B) any other funds made available for the
purposes described in paragraph (1).
``(e) Exclusion of Certain Federal Land.--This section shall not
apply to--
``(1) a component of the National Wilderness Preservation
System;
``(2) Federal land on which the removal of vegetation is
prohibited or restricted by Act of Congress, Presidential
proclamation, or the applicable land management plan; or
``(3) a wilderness study area.
``(f) Limitation on Acquisition.--
``(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of
law, except as provided in paragraph (2), beginning on the date
of enactment of this section and during each of the subsequent
5 full fiscal years, none of the funds made available to the
Secretary under any law may be used--
``(A) to survey land for future acquisition as
Federal land; or
``(B) to enter into discussions with non-Federal
landowners to identify land for acquisition as Federal
land.
``(2) Exception.--Paragraph (1) does not apply to the use
of funds--
``(A) to complete land transactions underway on the
date of enactment of this section;
``(B) to exchange Federal land for non-Federal
land; or
``(C) to accept donations of non-Federal land as
Federal land.
``(3) Use of funds.--The Secretary shall use funds that
would otherwise have been used for purchase of non-Federal land
by the Forest Service to carry out--
``(A) mechanical forest treatments described in
subsection (b); and
``(B) salvage activities described in subsection
(d).''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Natural 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.
Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Natural 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.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry.
Llama 3.2 · runs locally in your browser
Ask anything about this bill. The AI reads the full text to answer.
Enter to send · Shift+Enter for new line