I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2401 

To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior 

to enter into cooperative agreements with State foresters authorizing 

State foresters to provide certain forest, rangeland, and watershed restoration and protection services. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 17, 2013 

Mr. COTTON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, 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 authorize the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary 

of the Interior to enter into cooperative agreements with 

State foresters authorizing State foresters to provide certain forest, rangeland, and watershed restoration and 

protection services. 

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 ‘‘Good Neighbor For5 estry Act’’. 

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1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) ELIGIBLE STATE.—The term ‘‘eligible 

4 State’’ means a State that contains National Forest 

5 System land or Bureau of Land Management land. 

6 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ 

7 means— 

8 (A) the Secretary of Agriculture, with re9 spect to National Forest System land; or 

10 (B) the Secretary of the Interior, with re11 spect to Bureau of Land Management land. 

12 (3) STATE FORESTER.—The term ‘‘State for13 ester’’ means the head of a State agency with juris14 diction over State forestry programs in an eligible 

15 State. 

16 SEC. 3. COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS AND CONTRACTS. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may enter into a 

18 cooperative agreement or contract (including a sole source 

19 contract) with a State forester to authorize the State for20 ester to provide the forest, rangeland, and watershed res21 toration, management, and protection services described 

22 in subsection (b) on National Forest System land or Bu23 reau of Land Management land, as applicable, in the eligi24 ble State. 

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1 (b) AUTHORIZED SERVICES.—The forest, rangeland, 

2 and watershed restoration, management, and protection 

3 services referred to in this section include the conduct of— 

4 (1) activities to treat insect-infected forests; 

5 (2) activities to reduce hazardous fuels; 

6 (3) activities involving commercial harvesting or 

7 other mechanical vegetation treatments; or 

8 (4) any other activities to restore or improve 

9 forest, rangeland, and watershed health, including 

10 fish and wildlife habitat 

11 (c) STATE AS AGENT.—Except as provided in sub12 section (f), a cooperative agreement or contract entered 

13 into under subsection (a) may authorize the State forester 

14 to serve as the agent for the Secretary in providing the 

15 restoration, management, and protection services author16 ized under subsection (a). 

17 (d) SUBCONTRACTS.—In accordance with applicable 

18 contract procedures for the eligible State, a State forester 

19 may enter into subcontracts to provide the restoration, 

20 management, and protection services authorized under a 

21 cooperative agreement or contract entered into under sub22 section (a). 

23 (e) TIMBER SALES.—Subsections (d) and (g) of sec24 tion 14 of the National Forest Management Act of 1976 

25 (16 U.S.C. 472a) shall not apply to services performed 

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1 under a cooperative agreement or contract entered into 

2 under subsection (a). 

3 (f) RETENTION OF NEPA RESPONSIBILITIES.—Any 

4 decision required to be made under the National Environ5 mental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) with 

6 respect to any restoration, management, and protection 

7 services to be provided under this Act by a State forester 

8 on National Forest System land or Bureau of Land Man9 agement land, as applicable, shall not be delegated to a 

10 State forester or any other officer or employee of the eligi11 ble State. 

12 (g) APPLICABLE LAW.—The restoration, manage13 ment, and protection services to be provided under this 

14 Act shall be carried out on a project-to-project basis under 

15 existing authorities of the Forest Service or Bureau of 

16 Land Management, as applicable. 

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