II 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1493 

To require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a program to expand 

and strengthen cooperative efforts to restore and protect forests in the 

Chesapeake Bay watershed, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 26, 2005 

Mr. SARBANES (for himself, Ms. MIKULSKI, Mr. WARNER, Mr. ALLEN, and 

Mr. SANTORUM) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a program to expand and strengthen cooperative efforts to 

restore and protect forests in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and for other purposes. 

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 ‘‘Chesapeake Bay Wa5 tershed Forestry Program Act of 2005’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 
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1 (1) trees and forests are critical to the long2 term health and proper ecological functioning of the 

3 Chesapeake Bay and the Chesapeake Bay watershed; 

4 (2) the Chesapeake Bay States are losing forest 

5 land to urban and suburban growth at a rate of 

6 nearly 100 acres per day; 

7 (3) the Forest Service has a vital role to play 

8 in assisting States, local governments, and nonprofit 

9 organizations in carrying out forest conservation, 

10 restoration, and stewardship projects and activities; 

11 and 

12 (4) existing programs do not ensure the support 

13 necessary to meet Chesapeake Bay forest goals. 

14 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are— 

15 (1) to expand and strengthen cooperative ef16 forts to protect, restore, and manage forests in the 

17 Chesapeake Bay watershed; and 

18 (2) to contribute to the achievement of the 

19 goals of the Chesapeake Bay Agreement. 

20 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

21 In this Act: 

22 (1) CHESAPEAKE BAY AGREEMENT.—The term 

23 ‘‘Chesapeake Bay Agreement’’ means the formal, 

24 voluntary agreements— 
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1 (A) executed to achieve the goal of restor2 ing and protecting the Chesapeake Bay eco3 system and the living resources of the Chesa4 peake Bay ecosystem; and 

5 (B) signed by the Council. 

6 (2) CHESAPEAKE BAY STATE.—The term 

7 ‘‘Chesapeake Bay State’’ means each of the States 

8 of Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, 

9 Virginia, and West Virginia and the District of Co10 lumbia. 

11 (3) COORDINATOR.—The term ‘‘Coordinator’’ 

12 means the Coordinator of the program designated 

13 under section 4(b)(1)(B). 

14 (4) COUNCIL.—The term ‘‘Council’’ means the 

15 Chesapeake Bay Executive Council. 

16 (5) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘program’’ means 

17 the Chesapeake Bay watershed forestry program 

18 carried out under section 4(a). 

19 (6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

20 the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the 

21 Chief of the Forest Service and the Coordinator. 

22 SEC. 4. CHESAPEAKE BAY WATERSHED FORESTRY PRO23 GRAM. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry out a 

25 Chesapeake Bay watershed forestry program under which 
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1 the Secretary shall make grants and provide technical as2 sistance to eligible entities to restore and conserve forests 

3 in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, including grants and 

4 assistance— 

5 (1) to promote forest conservation, restoration, 

6 and stewardship efforts in urban, suburban, and 

7 rural areas of the Chesapeake Bay watershed; 

8 (2) to accelerate the restoration of riparian for9 est buffers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed; 

10 (3) to assist in developing and carrying out 

11 projects and partnerships in the Chesapeake Bay 

12 watershed; 

13 (4) to promote the protection and sustainable 

14 management of forests in the Chesapeake Bay wa15 tershed; 

16 (5) to develop communication and education re17 sources that enhance public understanding of the 

18 value of forests in the Chesapeake Bay watershed; 

19 (6) to conduct research, assessment, and plan20 ning activities to restore and protect forest land in 

21 the Chesapeake Bay watershed; and 

22 (7) to contribute to the achievement of the 

23 goals of the Chesapeake Bay Agreement. 

24 (b) OFFICE; COORDINATOR.— 

25 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall— 
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1 (A) maintain an office within the Forest 

2 Service to carry out the program; and 

3 (B) designate an employee of the Forest 

4 Service as Coordinator of the program. 

5 (2) DUTIES.—As part of the program, the Co6 ordinator, in cooperation with the Secretary and the 

7 Chesapeake Bay Program, shall— 

8 (A) provide grants and technical assistance 

9 to restore and protect forests in the Chesapeake 

10 Bay watershed; 

11 (B) enter into partnerships to carry out 

12 forest restoration and conservation activities at 

13 a watershed scale using the resources and pro14 grams of the Forest Service; 

15 (C) in collaboration with other units of the 

16 Forest Service, other Federal agencies, and 

17 State forestry agencies, carry out activities that 

18 contribute to the goals of the Chesapeake Bay 

19 Agreement; 

20 (D) work with units of the National Forest 

21 System in the Chesapeake Bay watershed to en22 sure that the units are managed in a manner 

23 that— 

24 (i) protects water quality; and 

25 (ii) sustains watershed health; 
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1 (E) represent the Forest Service in delib2 erations of the Chesapeake Bay Program; and 

3 (F) support and collaborate with the For4 estry Work Group for the Chesapeake Bay Pro5 gram in planning and implementing program 

6 activities. 

7 (c) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to receive as8 sistance under the program, an entity shall be— 

9 (1) a Chesapeake Bay State; 

10 (2) a political subdivision of a Chesapeake Bay 

11 State; 

12 (3) a university or other institution of higher 

13 education; 

14 (4) an organization operating in the Chesa15 peake Bay watershed that is described in section 

16 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and is 

17 exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of that 

18 Code; or 

19 (5) any other person in the Chesapeake Bay 

20 watershed that the Secretary determines to be eligi21 ble. 

22 (d) GRANTS.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall make 

24 grants to eligible entities under the program to carry 
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1 out projects to protect, restore, and manage forests 

2 in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. 

3 (2) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of a 

4 grant made under the program shall not exceed 75 

5 percent, as determined by the Secretary. 

6 (3) TYPES OF PROJECTS.—The Secretary may 

7 make a grant to an eligible entity for a project in 

8 the Chesapeake Bay watershed that— 

9 (A) improves habitat and water quality 

10 through the establishment, protection, or stew11 ardship of riparian or wetland forests or stream 

12 corridors; 

13 (B) builds the capacity of State forestry 

14 agencies and local organizations to implement 

15 forest conservation, restoration, and steward16 ship actions; 

17 (C) develops and implements watershed 

18 management plans that— 

19 (i) address forest conservation needs; 

20 and 

21 (ii) reduce urban and suburban run22 off; 

23 (D) provides outreach and assistance to 

24 private landowners and communities to restore 

25 or conserve forests in the watershed; 
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1 (E) implements communication, education, 

2 or technology transfer programs that broaden 

3 public understanding of the value of trees and 

4 forests in sustaining and restoring the Chesa5 peake Bay watershed; 

6 (F) coordinates and implements commu7 nity-based watershed partnerships and initia8 tives that— 

9 (i) focus on— 

10 (I) the expansion of the urban 

11 tree canopy; and 

12 (II) the restoration or protection 

13 of forest land; or 

14 (ii) integrate the delivery of Forest 

15 Service programs for restoring or pro16 tecting watersheds; 

17 (G) provides enhanced forest resource data 

18 to support watershed management; 

19 (H) enhances upland forest health to re20 duce risks to watershed function and water 

21 quality; or 

22 (I) conducts inventory assessment or moni23 toring activities to measure environmental 

24 change associated with projects carried out 

25 under the program. 
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1 (4) CHESAPEAKE BAY WATERSHED FOR2 ESTERS.—Funds made available under section 6 

3 may be used by a Chesapeake Bay State to employ 

4 a State watershed forester to work with the Coordi5 nator to carry out activities and watershed projects 

6 relating to the program. 

7 (e) STUDY.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consulta9 tion with the Council, shall conduct a study of urban 

10 and rural forests in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, 

11 including— 

12 (A) an evaluation of the state, and threats 

13 to the sustainability, of forests in the Chesa14 peake Bay watershed; 

15 (B) an assessment of forest loss and frag16 mentation in the Chesapeake Bay watershed; 

17 (C) an identification of forest land within 

18 the Chesapeake Bay watershed that should be 

19 restored or protected; and 

20 (D) recommendations for expanded and 

21 targeted actions or programs needed to achieve 

22 the goals of the Chesapeake Bay Agreement. 

23 (2) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after 

24 amounts are first made available under section 6, 

25 the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Ag-
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1 riculture of the House of Representatives and the 

2 Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 

3 of the Senate a report that describes the results of 

4 the study. 

5 SEC. 5. WATERSHED FORESTRY RESEARCH PROGRAM. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in cooperation 

7 with the Council, shall establish a watershed forestry re8 search program for the Chesapeake Bay watershed. 

9 (b) ADMINISTRATION.—In carrying out the water10 shed forestry research program established under sub11 section (a), the Secretary shall— 

12 (1) use a combination of applied research, mod13 eling, demonstration projects, implementation guid14 ance, strategies for adaptive management, training, 

15 and education to meet the needs of the residents of 

16 the Chesapeake Bay States for managing forests in 

17 urban, developing, and rural areas; 

18 (2) solicit input from local managers and Fed19 eral, State, and private researchers, with respect to 

20 air and water quality, social and economic implica21 tions, environmental change, and other Chesapeake 

22 Bay watershed forestry issues in urban and rural 

23 areas; 
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1 (3) collaborate with the Chesapeake Bay Pro2 gram Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee 

3 and universities in the Chesapeake Bay States to— 

4 (A) address issues in the Chesapeake Bay 

5 Agreement; and 

6 (B) support modeling and informational 

7 needs of the Chesapeake Bay program; and 

8 (4) manage activities of the watershed forestry 

9 research program in partnership with the Coordi10 nator. 

11 (c) WATERSHED FORESTRY RESEARCH STRAT12 EGY.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

13 of this Act, the Secretary, in collaboration with the North14 eastern Forest Research Station and the Southern Forest 

15 Research Station, shall submit to Congress a strategy for 

16 research to address Chesapeake Bay watershed goals, in17 cluding recommendations for implementation and leader18 ship of the program. 

19 SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

20 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

21 the program $3,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2006 

22 through 2012, of which— 

23 (1) not more than $500,000 shall be used to 

24 conduct the study required under section 4(e); and 
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1 (2) not more than $1,000,000 for any fiscal 

2 year shall be used to carry out the watershed for3 estry research program under section 5. 

4 SEC. 7. REPORT. 

5 Not later than December 31, 2007, and annually 

6 thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a com7 prehensive report that describes the costs, accomplish8 ments, and outcomes of the activities carried out under 

9 the program. 

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