IIB 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 3759 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 20, 2010 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural 

Resources 

AN ACT 

To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to grant marketrelated contract extensions of certain timber contracts 

between the Secretary of the Interior and timber purchasers, 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. QUALIFYING TIMBER CONTRACT OPTIONS. 

2 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

3 (1) QUALIFYING CONTRACT.—The term ‘‘quali4 fying contract’’ means a contract that has not been 

5 terminated by the Bureau of Land Management for 

6 the sale of timber on lands administered by the Bu7 reau of Land Management that meets all of the fol8 lowing criteria: 

9 (A) The contract was awarded during the 

10 period beginning on January 1, 2005, and end11 ing on December 31, 2008. 

12 (B) There is unharvested volume remain13 ing for the contract. 

14 (C) The contract is not a salvage sale. 

15 (D) The Secretary determined there is not 

16 an urgent need to harvest under the contract 

17 due to deteriorating timber conditions that de18 veloped after the award of the contract. 

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

20 the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Di21 rector of Bureau of Land Management. 

22 (3) TIMBER PURCHASER.—The term ‘‘timber 

23 purchaser’’ means the party to the qualifying con24 tract for the sale of timber from lands administered 

25 by the Bureau of Land Management. 


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1 (b) MARKET-RELATED CONTRACT EXTENSION OP2 TION.—Upon a timber purchaser’s written request, the 

3 Secretary may make a one-time modification to the quali4 fying contract to add 3 years to the contract expiration 

5 date if the written request— 

6 (1) is received by the Secretary not later than 

7 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act; and 

8 (2) contains a provision releasing the United 

9 States from all liability, including further consider10 ation or compensation, resulting from the modifica11 tion under this subsection of the term of a qualifying 

12 contract. 

13 (c) REPORTING.—Not later than 6 months after the 

14 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall sub15 mit to Congress a report detailing a plan and timeline to 

16 promulgate new regulations authorizing the Bureau of 

17 Land Management to extend and renegotiate timber con18 tracts due to changes in market conditions. 

19 (d) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 2 years after the 

20 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall pro21 mulgate new regulations authorizing the Bureau of Land 

22 Management to extend and renegotiate timber contracts 

23 due to changes in market conditions. 

24 (e) NO SURRENDER OF CLAIMS.—This section shall 

25 not have the effect of surrendering any claim by the 


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1 United States against any timber purchaser that arose 

2 under a timber sale contract, including a qualifying con3 tract, before the date on which the Secretary adjusts the 

4 contract term under subsection (b). 

Passed the House of Representatives January 19, 

2010. 

Attest: LORRAINE C. MILLER, 

Clerk. 


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