{"id":4306,"date":"2016-06-09T20:59:55","date_gmt":"2016-06-09T20:59:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/esa.org\/seeds\/?page_id=4306"},"modified":"2016-06-09T20:59:55","modified_gmt":"2016-06-09T20:59:55","slug":"whats-being-done","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/esa.org\/seeds\/whats-being-done\/","title":{"rendered":"What&#8217;s being done"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><span style=\"font-size: 16pt\">Forestry and Watershed Related Congress Bills in 2015<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>National\u00a0Forest\u00a0Ecosystem Improvement Act of 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Status: Introduced in Senate (06\/25\/2015)<\/p>\n<p>This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA), acting through the\u00a0Forest\u00a0Service, to identify, prioritize, and carry out ecosystem restoration projects on National Forest\u00a0System land in accordance with applicable land and resource management plans, if any, to accomplish one or more of the following objectives:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>restore terrestrial habitat;<\/li>\n<li>sustain water quality, water flows, or watershed health and function;<\/li>\n<li>create, improve, or increase early seral habitat;<\/li>\n<li>carry out a needed timber stand improvement;<\/li>\n<li>reduce the risk or extent of insect or disease infestation;<\/li>\n<li>reduce wildland fire severity potential;<\/li>\n<li>implement a community wildfire protection plan; or<\/li>\n<li>establish, recover, or maintain ecosystem resiliency.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Find more at: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/114th-congress\/senate-bill\/1691?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22forest%22%5D%7D&amp;resultIndex=16\">https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/114th-congress\/senate-bill\/1691?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22forest%22%5D%7D&amp;resultIndex=16<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Restoring America\u2019s Watersheds Act of 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>Status: Introduced in Senate (07\/15\/2015)<\/h3>\n<p>This bill directs the\u00a0Forest\u00a0Service to establish a Water Source Protection Program for National\u00a0Forest\u00a0System land derived from the public domain. It also authorizes the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to enter into water source investment partnerships with specified end water users to protect and restore the condition of National\u00a0Forest\u00a0watersheds that provide water to non-federal partners.<\/p>\n<p>The bill directs the\u00a0Forest\u00a0Service to establish a Watershed Condition Framework for System land derived from the public domain to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>evaluate and classify the condition of watersheds,<\/li>\n<li>identify for restoration up to five priority watersheds in each National\u00a0Forest\u00a0and up to two priority watersheds in each national grassland,<\/li>\n<li>develop a watershed restoration action plan for each priority watershed,<\/li>\n<li>prioritize restoration activities for each watershed restoration action plan,<\/li>\n<li>implement each watershed restoration action plan, and<\/li>\n<li>monitor the effectiveness of restoration actions and indicators of watershed health.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The bill reauthorizes the Collaborative\u00a0Forest\u00a0Landscape Restoration Fund for each of FY2016-FY2024.<\/p>\n<p>Find more at: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/114th-congress\/senate-bill\/1780?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22forest%22%5D%7D&amp;resultIndex=64\">https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/114th-congress\/senate-bill\/1780?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22forest%22%5D%7D&amp;resultIndex=64<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>National\u00a0Forest\u00a0Collaborative Incentive Act of 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>Status: Introduced in House (06\/03\/2015)<\/h3>\n<p>The USDA, with respect to National\u00a0Forest\u00a0System land, and the Department of the Interior, with respect to certain land under its jurisdiction, shall ensure that at least 50% of the project funds reserved by a participating county shall be made available only for projects that: (1) include the sale of timber or other\u00a0forest\u00a0products, and (2) implement stewardship objectives that enhance\u00a0forest\u00a0ecosystems or restore and improve land health and\u00a0water\u00a0quality. Repeals the current limitation of such projects to those for road maintenance, decommissioning, or obliteration or for restoration of streams and watersheds.<\/p>\n<p>Find more at: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/114th-congress\/house-bill\/2644?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22forest+water%22%5D%7D&amp;resultIndex=3\">https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/114th-congress\/house-bill\/2644?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22forest+water%22%5D%7D&amp;resultIndex=3<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>Status: Passed House amended (07\/09\/2015)<\/h3>\n<p>To expedite under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and improve forest management activities on National Forest System lands, on public lands under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management, and on tribal lands to return resilience to overgrown, fire-prone forested lands, and for other purposes. Content includes:<\/p>\n<p>Title I\u2013expedited environmental analysis and availability of categorical exclusions to expedite forest management activities<\/p>\n<p>Title II\u2013salvage and reforestation in response to catastrophic events<\/p>\n<p>Title III\u2013collaborative project litigation requirement<\/p>\n<p>Title IV\u2013secure rural schools and community self-determination act amendments<\/p>\n<p>Title V\u2013stewardship end result contracting<\/p>\n<p>Title VI\u2013additional funding sources for forest management activities<\/p>\n<p>Title VII\u2013tribal forestry participation and protection<\/p>\n<p>Title VIII\u2013miscellaneous forest management provisions<\/p>\n<p>Title IX\u2013major disaster for wildfire on federal land<\/p>\n<p>Find more at: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/114th-congress\/house-bill\/2647\">https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/114th-congress\/house-bill\/2647<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h1>State National Forest Management Act of 2015<\/h1>\n<h3>Status: Introduced in House (09\/29\/2015)<\/h3>\n<p>This bill directs the Department of Agriculture, through the\u00a0Forest\u00a0Service, to convey to a state up to 2 million acres of eligible portions of the National\u00a0Forest\u00a0System (NFS) in it that it elects to acquire through enactment by the state legislature of a bill meeting certain criteria.<\/p>\n<p>Portions of the NFS conveyed to a state shall be administered and managed primarily for timber production.<\/p>\n<p>Find more at: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/114th-congress\/house-bill\/3650?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22forest%22%5D%7D&amp;resultIndex=2\">https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/114th-congress\/house-bill\/3650?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22forest%22%5D%7D&amp;resultIndex=2<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Forest\u00a0Incentives Program Act of 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>Status: Introduced in Senate (07\/09\/2015)<\/h3>\n<p>This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a\u00a0forest\u00a0incentives program to achieve supplemental greenhouse gas emission reductions and carbon sequestration on U.S. private\u00a0forest\u00a0land (eligible land) through:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>carbon incentives contracts, and<\/li>\n<li>conservation easement agreements.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In selecting projects under such program, USDA shall give priority to contracts and agreements that:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>sequester the most carbon on a per acre basis; and<\/li>\n<li>create forestry jobs or protect habitats and achieve significant other environmental, economic, and social benefits.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Find more at: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/114th-congress\/senate-bill\/1733\">https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/114th-congress\/senate-bill\/1733<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Fostering Opportunities for Resources and Education Spending Through Timber Sales Act of 2015 or the\u00a0FORESTS\u00a0Act of 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>Status: Introduced in House (04\/30\/2015)<\/h3>\n<p>This bill directs the Department of Agriculture to establish at least one\u00a0Forest\u00a0Active Management Area within each unit of the National\u00a0Forest\u00a0System designated for sustainable\u00a0forest\u00a0management for the production of national\u00a0forest\u00a0materials (trees, portions of trees, or\u00a0forest\u00a0products) and\u00a0forest\u00a0active management revenues (derived from the sale of such materials).<\/p>\n<p>Find more at: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/114th-congress\/house-bill\/2178?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22forest%22%5D%7D&amp;resultIndex=23\">https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/114th-congress\/house-bill\/2178?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22forest%22%5D%7D&amp;resultIndex=23<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Healthy\u00a0Forest\u00a0Management and Wildfire Prevention Act<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>Status: Introduced in House (02\/03\/2015)<\/h3>\n<p>Allows a state governor or the Department of Agriculture, with respect the National\u00a0Forest\u00a0System, or the Department of the Interior, with respect to public lands, to designate high-risk areas of the national\u00a0forests\u00a0and public lands in the state for purposes of addressing: (1) deteriorating\u00a0forest\u00a0health conditions due to the bark beetle epidemic or drought, with the resulting imminent risk of devastating wildfires; and (2) the future risk of insect infestations or disease outbreaks through preventative treatments to improve\u00a0forest\u00a0health conditions. Excludes wilderness areas and national monuments from designation as high-risk areas. Establishes a 20-year period for such high-risk area designation.<\/p>\n<p>Allows a governor or the department concerned, upon designation of a high-risk area, to provide for the development of proposed emergency hazardous fuels reduction projects for the area. Applies the administrative and judicial review processes of the Healthy\u00a0Forests\u00a0Restoration Act of 2003, with modifications, to such projects.<\/p>\n<p>Amends the Healthy\u00a0Forest\u00a0Restoration Act of 2003 to extend the duration of contracts to perform services to achieve land management goals for national\u00a0forests\u00a0and public lands that meet local and rural community needs.<\/p>\n<p>Find more at: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/114th-congress\/house-bill\/695?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22forest%22%5D%7D&amp;resultIndex=32\">https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/114th-congress\/house-bill\/695?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22forest%22%5D%7D&amp;resultIndex=32<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Catastrophic Wildfire Prevention Act of 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>Status: Introduced in Senate (11\/17\/2015)<\/h3>\n<p>Directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA), with\u00a0respect to National\u00a0Forest\u00a0System lands, and the Department of the Interior, with respect to public lands, to implement authorized wildfire prevention projects in at-risk\u00a0forests\u00a0and on threatened and endangered species habitat in a manner that focuses on surface, ladder, and canopy fuels reduction activities.<\/p>\n<p>Requires projects carried out in at-risk\u00a0forests\u00a0to move the federal land from condition class II or III toward condition class I, as those classes were developed by the\u00a0ForestService Rocky Mountain Research Station in a specified general technical report.<\/p>\n<p>Permits use in a project of: (1) domestic livestock grazing to reduce surface fuel loads and to recover burned areas; and (2) timber harvesting and thinning to reduce ladder and canopy fuel loads for the prevention of wildfire, including catastrophic wildfires.<\/p>\n<p>Directs USDA and Interior to review public petitions for, and make determinations with respect to, the designation of federal lands as at-risk\u00a0forests\u00a0or as threatened and endangered species habitats.<\/p>\n<p>Requires notice in the Federal Register of proposed projects and final designated projects and permits public comment on projects as specified.<\/p>\n<p>Instructs USDA and Interior to prepare an environmental assessment for projects that include timber harvesting or grazing.<\/p>\n<p>Instructs USDA and Interior to research what impact any listing of a species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 would have on both forage and timber\u00a0forest\u00a0fuel loads. Requires endangered species recovery plans and critical habitat determinations to include a wildfire risk assessment analysis.<\/p>\n<p>Find more at: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/114th-congress\/senate-bill\/2286?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22forest%22%5D%7D&amp;resultIndex=44\">https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/114th-congress\/senate-bill\/2286?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22forest%22%5D%7D&amp;resultIndex=44<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>Status: Introduced in House (06\/04\/2015)<\/h3>\n<p>Designates certain federal land in the Olympic National\u00a0Forest\u00a0in the state of Washington as wilderness and components of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Designates certain other land, identified on the same map as such proposed areas, as potential wilderness.<\/p>\n<p>Withdraws the federal land within the boundaries of the designated river segments from: (1) entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws; (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and (3) disposition under all laws relating to mineral and geothermal leasing or mineral materials.<\/p>\n<p>Find more at: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/114th-congress\/house-bill\/2665?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22forest%22%5D%7D&amp;resultIndex=48\">https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/114th-congress\/house-bill\/2665?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22forest%22%5D%7D&amp;resultIndex=48<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><strong>H.R.4151 Amendment<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3>Status: Introduced in House (12\/01\/2015)<\/h3>\n<p>This bill <strong>makes permanent the Land and\u00a0Water\u00a0Conservation Fund (LWCF).<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Of the appropriations from the LWCF: (1) at least 40% shall be used collectively for federal purposes for certain land and\u00a0water\u00a0acquisitions (as currently); (2) at least 40% shall be used collectively to provide financial assistance to states for LWCF purposes and for outdoor recreation, for the\u00a0Forest\u00a0Legacy Program, for cooperative endangered species grants, and for the American Battlefield Protection Program; and (3) at least 1.5% or $10 million, whichever is greater, shall be used for projects that secure recreational public access to federal public land for hunting, fishing, or other recreational purposes.<\/p>\n<p>The Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture shall consider the acquisition of conservation easements and other similar interests in land where it is appropriate and feasible, taking specified considerations into account.<\/p>\n<p>The bill establishes a National Park Service Critical Maintenance and Revitalization Conservation Fund in the Treasury for the deposit of specified amounts from revenues due and payable to the United States under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.<\/p>\n<p>Find more at: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/114th-congress\/house-bill\/4151?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22forest+water%22%5D%7D&amp;resultIndex=13\">https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/114th-congress\/house-bill\/4151?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22forest+water%22%5D%7D&amp;resultIndex=13<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>National Park and Wilderness\u00a0Waters\u00a0Protection Forever Act<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>Status: Introduced in House (04\/28\/2015)<\/h3>\n<p>Withdraws federal lands within the Rainy River Drainage Basin in Minnesota from all forms of: (1) entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws; (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and (3) operation under the mineral leasing and mineral material laws.<\/p>\n<p>Deems the approval of any lease or permit for activities relating to mining on federal lands in the Basin to be a major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment. Requires an environmental impact statement conducted for such an action to include consideration of any potential impacts to units of the National Park System (NPS) or land in the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS) located in the Basin. Conditions the issuance or renewal of any such lease or permit on a requirement that the permittee or lessee seasonally monitor\u00a0water\u00a0quality on such lands throughout the Basin. Requires all mining activities to be suspended if any mining related contamination is detected in any NPS unit or NWPS land in the Basin until all contamination has been remediated.<\/p>\n<p>Bars a federal agency from approving any mining related activities on federal lands in the Basin until the entity holding a lease or permit for that activity has submitted.<\/p>\n<p>Find more at: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/114th-congress\/house-bill\/2072?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22forest+water%22%5D%7D&amp;resultIndex=15\">https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/114th-congress\/house-bill\/2072?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22forest+water%22%5D%7D&amp;resultIndex=15<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Federal Land<\/strong><strong>\u00a0Invasive\u00a0Species\u00a0Control, Prevention, and Management Act<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>Status: Introduced in Senate (11\/04\/2015)<\/h3>\n<p>Directs the Department of the Interior (respecting federal land administered through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) (respecting federal land administered through the U.S. Forest Service) to plan and carry out activities on land directly managed by the department concerned to control and manage\u00a0invasive\u00a0species\u00a0in order to inhibit or reduce their populations and to effectuate restoration or reclamation efforts.<\/p>\n<p>Requires the department concerned to develop a strategic plan for the implementation of an\u00a0invasive\u00a0species\u00a0program that endeavors to achieve an annual 5% net reduction of\u00a0invasive\u00a0species\u00a0populations on land managed by that department.<\/p>\n<p>Find more at: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/114th-congress\/senate-bill\/2240?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22invasive+species%22%5D%7D&amp;resultIndex=1\">https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/114th-congress\/senate-bill\/2240?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22invasive+species%22%5D%7D&amp;resultIndex=1<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Forestry and Watershed Related Congress Bills in 2015 \u00a0 National\u00a0Forest\u00a0Ecosystem Improvement Act of 2015 Status: Introduced in Senate (06\/25\/2015) This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA), acting through the\u00a0Forest\u00a0Service, to identify, prioritize, and carry out ecosystem restoration projects on National Forest\u00a0System land in accordance with applicable land and resource management plans, if any, to accomplish one or more of&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4306","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/seeds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4306","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/seeds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/seeds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/seeds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/seeds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4306"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/seeds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4306\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/esa.org\/seeds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}