II 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1032 

To amend the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 to provide for 

good neighbor agreements to conduct authorized restoration services on 

National Forest System land. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 3, 2017 

Mr. ROBERTS introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 

A BILL 

To amend the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 

to provide for good neighbor agreements to conduct authorized restoration services on National Forest System 

land. 

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 ‘‘National Forest Good 

5 Neighbor Act of 2017’’. 

6 SEC. 2. GOOD NEIGHBOR AUTHORITY. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Cooperative Forestry Assist8 ance Act of 1978 is amended— 


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1 (1) by redesignating section 19 (16 U.S.C. 

2 2113) as section 18; and 

3 (2) by inserting after section 18 (as so redesig4 nated) the following: 

5 ‘‘SEC. 19. GOOD NEIGHBOR AUTHORITY. 

6 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

7 ‘‘(1) AUTHORIZED RESTORATION SERVICES.— 

8 The term ‘authorized restoration services’ means 

9 similar and complementary forest, rangeland, and 

10 watershed restoration services carried out— 

11 ‘‘(A) on National Forest System land, ex12 cept— 

13 ‘‘(i) a component of the National Wil14 derness Preservation System; 

15 ‘‘(ii) Federal land on which the re16 moval of vegetation is prohibited or re17 stricted by a law of Congress or a Presi18 dential proclamation (including the appli19 cable implementation plan); or 

20 ‘‘(iii) a wilderness study area; and 

21 ‘‘(B) by the Secretary or a Governor pur22 suant to a good neighbor agreement. 

23 ‘‘(2) FOREST, RANGELAND, AND WATERSHED

24 RESTORATION SERVICES.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘forest, 

2 rangeland, and watershed restoration services’ 

3 means— 

4 ‘‘(i) an activity to treat insect- or dis5 ease-infected trees; 

6 ‘‘(ii) an activity to reduce hazardous 

7 fuels; and 

8 ‘‘(iii) any other activity to restore or 

9 improve forest, rangeland, and watershed 

10 health, including fish and wildlife habitat. 

11 ‘‘(B) EXCLUSIONS.—The term ‘forest, 

12 rangeland, and watershed restoration services’ 

13 does not include— 

14 ‘‘(i) the construction, reconstruction, 

15 repair, or restoration of a paved or perma16 nent road or parking area; or 

17 ‘‘(ii) the construction, alteration, re18 pair, or replacement of a public building or 

19 work. 

20 ‘‘(3) GOOD NEIGHBOR AGREEMENT.—The term 

21 ‘good neighbor agreement’ means a cooperative 

22 agreement or contract (including a sole source con23 tract) entered into between the Secretary and a Gov24 ernor to carry out authorized restoration services 

25 under this section. 


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1 ‘‘(4) GOVERNOR.—The term ‘Governor’ means 

2 the Governor or any other appropriate executive offi3 cial of a State. 

4 ‘‘(5) ROAD.—The term ‘road’ has the meaning 

5 given the term in section 212.1 of title 36, Code of 

6 Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date of en7 actment of the National Forest Good Neighbor Act 

8 of 2017). 

9 ‘‘(6) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means— 

10 ‘‘(A) a State; and 

11 ‘‘(B) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. 

12 ‘‘(b) GOOD NEIGHBOR AGREEMENTS.— 

13 ‘‘(1) AUTHORITY.— 

14 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

15 enter into a good neighbor agreement with a 

16 Governor to carry out authorized restoration 

17 services in accordance with this section. 

18 ‘‘(B) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Sec19 retary shall make each good neighbor agree20 ment available to the public. 

21 ‘‘(2) TIMBER SALES.— 

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subsections (d) and 

23 (g) of section 14 of the National Forest Man24 agement Act of 1976 (16 U.S.C. 472a) shall 

25 not apply to authorized restoration services. 


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1 ‘‘(B) APPROVAL OF SILVICULTURE PRE2 SCRIPTIONS AND MARKING GUIDES.—The Sec3 retary shall provide or approve all silviculture 

4 prescriptions and marking guides to be applied 

5 on National Forest System land described in 

6 subsection (a)(1)(A) in any timber sale project 

7 conducted under this section. 

8 ‘‘(3) RETENTION OF RESPONSIBILITIES.—Any 

9 decision required to be made by the Secretary under 

10 the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 

11 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) with respect to any authorized 

12 restoration services shall not be delegated to a Gov13 ernor.’’. 

14 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

15 (1) Section 2A(c)(1) of the Cooperative For16 estry Assistance Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 

17 2101a(c)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘section 19(b)’’ 

18 and inserting ‘‘section 18(b)’’. 

19 (2) Section 7(e) of the Cooperative Forestry As20 sistance Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2103c(e)) is amend21 ed in the first sentence by striking ‘‘section 19(b)’’ 

22 and inserting ‘‘section 18(b)’’. 

23 (3) Section 13A(b) of the Cooperative Forestry 

24 Assistance Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2109a(b)) is 


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1 amended by striking ‘‘section 19(a)’’ and inserting 

2 ‘‘section 18(a)’’. 

Æ 


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