109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 2720

AN ACT

To further the purposes of the Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992 by directing the 

Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation, to carry out an assessment and 

demonstration program to control salt cedar and Russian 

olive, and for other purposes.
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1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Salt Cedar and Rus5 sian Olive Control Demonstration Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. SALT CEDAR AND RUSSIAN OLIVE CONTROL DEM7 ONSTRATION PROGRAM. 

8 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of the Interior 

9 (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Secretary’’), acting 

10 through the Commissioner of Reclamation and the Direc11 tor of the United States Geological Survey and in coopera12 tion with the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary 

13 of Defense, shall carry out a salt cedar (Tamarix spp) and 

14 Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) assessment and 

15 demonstration program—

16 (1) to assess the extent of the infestation by 

17 salt cedar and Russian olive trees in the western 

18 United States; 

19 (2) to demonstrate strategic solutions for—

20 (A) the long-term management of salt 

21 cedar and Russian olive trees; and 

22 (B) the reestablishment of native vegeta23 tion; and 
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1 (3) to assess economic means to dispose of bio2 mass created as a result of removal of salt cedar and 

3 Russian olive trees. 

4 (b) MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING.—As soon 

5 as practicable after the date of enactment of this Act, the 

6 Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture shall enter into 

7 a memorandum of understanding providing for the admin8 istration of the program established under subsection (a). 

9 (c) ASSESSMENT.—

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

11 the date on which funds are made available to carry 

12 out this Act, the Secretary shall complete an assess13 ment of the extent of salt cedar and Russian olive 

14 infestation on public and private land in the western 

15 United States. 

16 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—In addition to describing 

17 the acreage of and severity of infestation by salt 

18 cedar and Russian olive trees in the western United 

19 States, the assessment shall—

20 (A) consider existing research on methods 

21 to control salt cedar and Russian olive trees; 

22 (B) consider the feasibility of reducing 

23 water consumption by salt cedar and Russian 

24 olive trees; 
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1 (C) consider methods of and challenges as2 sociated with the revegetation or restoration of 

3 infested land; and 

4 (D) estimate the costs of destruction of 

5 salt cedar and Russian olive trees, related bio6 mass removal, and revegetation or restoration 

7 and maintenance of the infested land. 

8 (3) REPORT.—

9 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

10 submit to the Committee on Energy and Nat11 ural Resources and the Committee on Agri12 culture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate 

13 and the Committee on Resources and the Com14 mittee on Agriculture of the House of Rep15 resentatives a report that includes the results of 

16 the assessment conducted under paragraph (1). 

17 (B) CONTENTS.—The report submitted 

18 under subparagraph (A) shall identify—

19 (i) long-term management and fund20 ing strategies identified under subsection 

21 (d) that could be implemented by Federal, 

22 State, tribal, and private land managers 

23 and owners to address the infestation by 

24 salt cedar and Russian olive; 
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1 (ii) any deficiencies in the assessment 

2 or areas for additional study; and 

3 (iii) any field demonstrations that 

4 would be useful in the effort to control salt 

5 cedar and Russian olive. 

6 (d) LONG-TERM MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES.—

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall identify 

8 and document long-term management and funding 

9 strategies that—

10 (A) could be implemented by Federal, 

11 State, tribal, and private land managers in ad12 dressing infestation by salt cedar and Russian 

13 olive trees; and 

14 (B) should be tested as components of 

15 demonstration projects under subsection (e). 

16 (2) GRANTS.—

17 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

18 provide grants to eligible entities to provide 

19 technical experience, support, and recommenda20 tions relating to the identification and docu21 mentation of long-term management and fund22 ing strategies under paragraph (1). 

23 (B) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—Institutions of 

24 higher education and nonprofit organizations 

25 with an established background and expertise in 
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1 the public policy issues associated with the con2 trol of salt cedar and Russian olive trees shall 

3 be eligible for a grant under subparagraph (A). 

4 (C) MINIMUM AMOUNT.—The amount of a 

5 grant provided under subparagraph (A) shall be 

6 not less than $250,000. 

7 (e) DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.—

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

9 after the date on which funds are made available to 

10 carry out this Act, the Secretary shall establish a 

11 program that selects and funds not less than 5 

12 projects proposed by and implemented in collabora13 tion with Federal agencies, units of State and local 

14 government, national laboratories, Indian tribes, in15 stitutions of higher education, individuals, organiza16 tions, or soil and water conservation districts to 

17 demonstrate and evaluate the most effective methods 

18 of controlling salt cedar and Russian olive trees. 

19 (2) PROJECT REQUIREMENTS.—The demonstra20 tion projects under paragraph (1) shall—

21 (A) be carried out over a time period and 

22 to a scale designed to fully assess long-term 

23 management strategies; 

24 (B) implement salt cedar or Russian olive 

25 tree control using 1 or more methods for each 
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1 project in order to assess the full range of con2 trol methods, including—

3 (i) airborne application of herbicides; 

4 (ii) mechanical removal; and 

5 (iii) biocontrol methods, such as the 

6 use of goats or insects; 

7 (C) individually or in conjunction with 

8 other demonstration projects, assess the effects 

9 of and obstacles to combining multiple control 

10 methods and determine optimal combinations of 

11 control methods; 

12 (D) assess soil conditions resulting from 

13 salt cedar and Russian olive tree infestation 

14 and means to revitalize soils; 

15 (E) define and implement appropriate final 

16 vegetative states and optimal revegetation 

17 methods, with preference for self-maintaining 

18 vegetative states and native vegetation, and tak19 ing into consideration downstream impacts, 

20 wildfire potential, and water savings; 

21 (F) identify methods for preventing the re22 growth and reintroduction of salt cedar and 

23 Russian olive trees; 

24 (G) monitor and document any water sav25 ings from the control of salt cedar and Russian 
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1 olive trees, including impacts to both ground2 water and surface water; 

3 (H) assess wildfire activity and manage4 ment strategies; 

5 (I) assess changes in wildlife habitat; 

6 (J) determine conditions under which re7 moval of biomass is appropriate (including opti8 mal methods for the disposal or use of bio9 mass); and 

10 (K) assess economic and other impacts as11 sociated with control methods and the restora12 tion and maintenance of land. 

13 (f) DISPOSITION OF BIOMASS.—

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

15 the date on which funds are made available to carry 

16 out this Act, the Secretary, in cooperation with the 

17 Secretary of Agriculture, shall complete an analysis 

18 of economic means to use or dispose of biomass cre19 ated as a result of removal of salt cedar and Russian 

20 olive trees. 

21 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—The analysis shall—

22 (A) determine conditions under which re23 moval of biomass is economically viable; 

24 (B) consider and build upon existing re25 search by the Department of Agriculture and 
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1 other agencies on beneficial uses of salt cedar 

2 and Russian olive tree fiber; and 

3 (C) consider economic development oppor4 tunities, including manufacture of wood prod5 ucts using biomass resulting from demonstra6 tion projects under subsection (e) as a means of 

7 defraying costs of control. 

8 (g) COSTS.—

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—With respect to projects and 

10 activities carried out under this Act—

11 (A) the assessment under subsection (c) 

12 shall be carried out at a cost of not more than 

13 $4,000,000; 

14 (B) the identification and documentation 

15 of long-term management strategies under sub16 section (d)(1) and the provision of grants under 

17 subsection (d)(2) shall be carried out at a cost 

18 of not more than $2,000,000; 

19 (C) each demonstration project under sub20 section (e) shall be carried out at a Federal cost 

21 of not more than $7,000,000 (including costs of 

22 planning, design, implementation, maintenance, 

23 and monitoring); and 
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1 (D) the analysis under subsection (f) shall 

2 be carried out at a cost of not more than 

3 $3,000,000. 

4 (2) COST-SHARING.—

5 (A) IN GENERAL.—The assessment under 

6 subsection (c), the identification and docu7 mentation of long-term management strategies 

8 under subsection (d), a demonstration project 

9 or portion of a demonstration project under 

10 subsection (e) that is carried out on Federal 

11 land, and the analysis under subsection (f) shall 

12 be carried out at full Federal expense. 

13 (B) DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS CARRIED

14 OUT ON NON-FEDERAL LAND.—

15 (i) IN GENERAL.—The Federal share 

16 of the costs of any demonstration project 

17 funded under subsection (e) that is not 

18 carried out on Federal land shall not ex19 ceed 75 percent. 

20 (ii) FORM OF NON-FEDERAL

21 SHARE.—The non-Federal share of the 

22 costs of a demonstration project that is not 

23 carried out on Federal land may be pro24 vided in the form of in-kind contributions, 

25 including services provided by a State 
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1 agency or any other public or private part2 ner. 

3 (h) COOPERATION.—In carrying out the assessment 

4 under subsection (c), the demonstration projects under 

5 subsection (e), and the analysis under subsection (f), the 

6 Secretary shall cooperate with and use the expertise of 

7 Federal agencies and the other entities specified in sub8 section (e)(1) that are actively conducting research on or 

9 implementing salt cedar and Russian olive tree control ac10 tivities. 

11 (i) INDEPENDENT REVIEW.—The Secretary shall 

12 subject to independent review—

13 (1) the assessment under subsection (c); 

14 (2) the identification and documentation of 

15 long-term management strategies under subsection 

16 (d); 

17 (3) the demonstration projects under subsection 

18 (e); and 

19 (4) the analysis under subsection (f). 

20 (j) REPORTING.—

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall submit 

22 to Congress an annual report that describes the re23 sults of carrying out this Act, including a synopsis 

24 of any independent review under subsection (I) and 
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1 details of the manner and purposes for which funds 

2 are expended. 

3 (2) PUBLIC ACCESS.—The Secretary shall fa4 cilitate public access to all information that results 

5 from carrying out this Act. 

6 (k) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be 

8 appropriated to carry out this Act—

9 (A) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2006; and 

10 (B) $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

11 2007 through 2010. 

12 (2) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—Not more 15 

13 percent of amounts made available under paragraph 

14 (1) shall be used to pay the administrative costs of 

15 carrying out the program established under sub16 section (a). 

17 (l) TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY.—This Act and the 

18 authority provided by this Act terminate on the date that 

19 is 5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act.

Passed the House of Representatives May 2, 2006. 

Attest:

Clerk. 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 2720

AN ACT

To further the purposes of the Reclamation 

and for other purposes.program to control salt cedar and Russian olive, to carry out an assessment and demonstration acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation, 1992 by directing the Secretary of the Interior, Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of