To provide for an assessment of the extent of the invasion of Salt Cedar and Russian Olive on lands in the Western United States and efforts to date to control such invasion on public and private lands, including tribal lands, to establish a demonstration program to address the invasion of Salt Cedar and Russian Olive, and for other purposes.

Summary: Salt Cedar and Russian Olive Control Assessment and Demonstration Act - (Sec. 2) Directs the Secretary of of Agriculture, in cooperation with the Secretary of the Interior (the Secretaries) to assess the extent of Salt Cedar and Russian Olive invasion in the western United States (as defined by the 1902 Reclamation Act). Requires such assessment to include: (1) documentation of the quantity of water lost due to the infestation and of the quantity of water saved due to various control methods, including the portion of saved water that returns to surface water or groundwater supplies and at what rates; and (2) determination of the optimum control method for the various land types and land uses, of what conditions indicate the need to remove such growth and the optimal methods for disposal or use of such growth, and of the methods to prevent the regrowth and reintroduction of Salt Cedar and Russian Olive and to reestablish native species.

Directs the Secretaries to prepare and submit to specified congressional committees (the congressional committees) a report containing the results of such assessment and identifying: (1) long-term management and funding strategies that could be implemented by Federal, State, tribal, and private land managers and owners on all land management types to address the invasion of Salt Cedar and Russian Olive; and (2) deficiencies or areas for further study and where actual field demonstrations would be useful in the control effort.

Authorizes the Secretaries to make grants to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or both) with an established background and expertise in public policy issues associated with the control of Salt Cedar and Russian Olive in order to obtain technical experience, support, and recommendations related to the identification of the long-term management and funding strategies required to be included in such report. Limits each grant awarded to $250,000.

(Sec. 3) Directs the Secretaries, based on the assessment and report, to initiate a program of at least three demonstration projects in the western States designed to address deficiencies and areas for further study to address the invasion of Salt Cedar and Russian Olive, including the testing of additional control methods identified by such report.

Allows the Secretaries to enter into an agreement with a western State to carry out a project and, if the Secretaries select a demonstration project for implementation in national Forest System lands, makes the Secretary of Agriculture responsible for implementation of such project.

Requires projects to be designed with integrated methods and adaptive management strategies and carried out over time frames and spatial scales large enough to accomplish the goals laid out in the report. Provides that, before being carried out, the methods and strategies proposed for each project shall be subject to review by scientific experts, including non-Federal experts, selected by the Secretaries.

Limits the total cost of each project to $7 million, including planning, design, implementation, revegetation, maintenance, and monitoring costs. Allows the Secretaries to accept, but not require, in cases of projects conducted on lands under the jurisdiction of either Secretary, funds or in-kind contributions, including State agency provided services. Limits the Federal share of the costs of any activity on private lands funded under a project to 75 percent of the activity's total cost.

Requires projects to include: (1) documentation of the quantity of water saved due to various control methods, including the portion of water saved that returns to surface water or groundwater supplies and at what rates; and (2) optimal revegetative states to prevent regrowth and reintroduction of Salt Cedar and Russian Olive and to reestablish native species.

Requires the Secretaries to submit to the congressional committees annual reports on such projects.

(Sec. 4) Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect, or otherwise bias, use by the Secretaries of other statutory or administrative authorities to plan or conduct Salt Cedar or Russian Olive control and eradication.

(Sec. 5) Authorizes appropriations to the Secretaries to: (1) conduct the assessment; (2) award the grants specified above; and (3) carry out the program of demonstration projects specified above.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Salt Cedar and Russian Olive Control 
Assessment and Demonstration Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Secretaries.--The term ``Secretaries'' means the 
        Secretary of Agriculture, in cooperation with the Secretary of 
        the Interior.
            (2) Western united states.--The term ``Western United 
        States'' refers to the States defined by the Act of June 17, 
        1902 (commonly known as the 1902 Reclamation Act; 43 U.S.C. 371 
        et seq.), which includes Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, 
        Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nevada, New 
        Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

SEC. 3. ASSESSMENT OF SALT CEDAR AND RUSSIAN OLIVE INFESTATION IN 
              WESTERN UNITED STATES.

    (a) Assessment.--Not later than one year after the date on which 
funds are first made available to carry out this section, the 
Secretaries shall complete an assessment of the extent of Salt Cedar 
and Russian Olive invasion in the Western United States.
    (b) Content.--The assessment shall include the following:
            (1) To the extent practicable, documentation of the 
        quantity of water lost due to the infestation.
            (2) Documentation of the quantity of water saved due to 
        various control methods, including the portion of saved water 
        that returns to surface water or groundwater supplies and at 
        what rates.
            (3) Determination of the optimum control method for the 
        various land types and land uses.
            (4) Determination of what conditions indicate the need to 
        remove such growth and the optimal methods for disposal or use 
        of such growth.
            (5) Determination of methods to prevent the regrowth and 
        reintroduction of Salt Cedar and Russian Olive and to 
        reestablish native species.
    (c) Report on Assessment.--
            (1) Preparation and content.--The Secretaries shall prepare 
        a report containing the results of the assessment. The report 
        shall identify long-term management and funding strategies that 
        could be implemented by Federal, State, Tribal, and private 
        land managers and owners on all land management types to 
        address the invasion of Salt Cedar and Russian Olive. The 
        report shall also identify deficiencies or areas for further 
        study and where actual field demonstrations would be useful in 
        the control effort.
            (2) Submission.--The Secretaries shall submit the report to 
        the Committee on Resources and the Committee on Agriculture of 
        the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, 
        Nutrition, and Forestry and the Committee on Energy and Natural 
        Resources of the Senate.
    (d) Support for Identification of Long-Term Management and Funding 
Strategies.--The Secretaries may make grants to institutions of higher 
education or nonprofit organizations (or both) with an established 
background and expertise in the public policy issues associated with 
the control of Salt Cedar and Russian Olive to obtain technical 
experience, support, and recommendations related to the identification 
of the long-term management and funding strategies required to be 
included in the report under subsection (c)(1). Each grant awarded 
under this subsection may not be less than $250,000.

SEC. 4. DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM FOR CONTROL OF SALT CEDAR AND RUSSIAN 
              OLIVE IN WESTERN STATES.

    (a) Demonstration Projects.--
            (1) Projects required.--Based on the results of the 
        assessment and report in section 3, the Secretaries shall 
        initiate a program of not fewer than three demonstration 
        projects in the Western United States designed to address the 
        deficiencies and areas for further study to address the 
        invasion of Salt Cedar and Russian Olive, including the test of 
        additional control methods, identified by the report.
            (2) Implementation.--The Secretaries may enter into an 
        agreement with a State in the Western United States to carry 
        out a demonstration project. If the Secretaries select a 
        demonstration project for implementation on National Forest 
        System lands, the Secretary of Agriculture shall be responsible 
        for implementation of the project.
    (b) Elements of Projects.--
            (1) Design and scale.--Each demonstration project shall be 
        designed with integrated methods and adaptive management 
        strategies and carried out over time frames and spatial scales 
        large enough to accomplish the goals laid out in the report.
            (2) Scientific review.--Before being carried out, the 
        methods and strategies proposed for each demonstration project 
        shall be subject to review by scientific experts, including 
        non-Federal experts, selected by the Secretaries. The 
        Secretaries may use existing scientific review processes to the 
        extent they comply with this requirement.
    (c) Project Costs and Cost Sharing.--The total cost of each 
demonstration project may not exceed $7,000,000, including the costs of 
planning, design, implementation, revegetation, maintenance, and 
monitoring. In the case of a demonstration project conducted on lands 
under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior or the 
Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretaries may accept, but not require, 
funds or in-kind contributions, including State agency provided 
services. The Federal share of the costs of any activity on private 
lands funded under the project shall be no more than 75 percent of the 
total cost of the activity.
    (d) Reporting Requirement.--During the period in which the 
demonstration projects are carried out, the Secretaries shall submit to 
the congressional committees specified in section 3(c)(2) an annual 
report describing--
            (1) the demonstration projects;
            (2) the progress made in carrying out the projects during 
        the period covered by the report; and
            (3) the costs of the projects under subsection (c).
    (e) Monitoring.--Demonstration projects shall include the 
following:
            (1) Documentation of the quantity of water saved due to 
        various control methods, including the portion of water saved 
        that returns to surface water or groundwater supplies and at 
        what rates.
            (2) Optimal revegetative states to prevent the regrowth and 
        reintroduction of Salt Cedar and Russian Olive and to 
        reestablish native species.
    (f) Cooperation.--The Secretaries shall use the expertise of their 
various agencies, as well as other Federal agencies, institutions of 
higher education, State and local governments and political 
subdivisions thereof, including soil and water conservation districts, 
and Indian tribes, which are actively conducting assessments on or 
implementing Salt Cedar and Russian Olive control activities.

SEC. 5. RELATION TO OTHER AUTHORITY.

    Nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect, or otherwise 
bias, the use by the Secretaries of other statutory or administrative 
authorities to plan or conduct Salt Cedar or Russian Olive control and 
eradication that is not planned or conducted under this Act.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) Assessment.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the 
Secretaries $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2005 to conduct the assessment 
required by section 3.
    (b) Grants.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the 
Secretaries $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2005 to award as grants under 
section 3(d).
    (c) Demonstration Projects.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretaries $18,000,000 for each of the fiscal 
years 2005 through 2009 to carry out the program of demonstration 
projects under section 4.

            Passed the House of Representatives February 24, 2004.

            Attest:

                                                 JEFF TRANDAHL,

                                                                 Clerk.