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Union Calendar No. 592

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 1524

[Report No. 106–1021]

To authorize the continued use on public lands of the expedited processes

successfully used for windstorm-damaged national forests and grasslands

in Texas.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

APRIL 22, 1999

Mrs. CHENOWETH (for herself, Mr. HERGER, and Mr. DOOLITTLE) introduced

the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Resources

OCTOBER 31, 2000

Additional sponsors: Mr. NETHERCUTT, Mr. SCHAFFER, Mr. PETERSON of

Pennsylvania, Mr. HALL of Montana, Mr. WALDEN of Oregon, Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina, Mr. THUNE, Mr. BOYD, and Mr. ROGERS

OCTOBER 31, 2000

Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union

and ordered to be printed

A BILL

To authorize the continued use on public lands of the expedited processes successfully used for windstorm-damaged

national forests and grasslands in Texas.

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. SHORT TITLE.

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Public Forests Emer3 gency Act of 1999’’.

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

5 The Congress finds the following:

6 (1) Natural catastrophic events in February

7 1998 created potentially dangerous fire and insect

8 infestation conditions in areas of national forests

9 and national grasslands in Texas, and the removal

10 of ‘‘dead, down, and severely root-sprung trees

11 where mortality is expected’’ in these areas was ex12 pedited by the approval of alternative arrangements

13 for that removal.

14 (2) The Administration should be commended

15 for approving those alternative arrangements, which

16 helped prevent the wildfires and insect and disease

17 infestations often associated with dead and dying

18 trees on land, administered by the Secretary of the

19 Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture.

20 (3) Numerous catastrophic forest conditions

21 similar to, equal to, or worse than the conditions in

22 Texas described in paragraph (1) exist on public

23 lands, including National Forest System lands,

24 throughout the United States, and treatment equiva25 lent to that expedited under the alternative arrange-
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1 ments is warranted and needed on these public

2 lands.

3 SEC. 3. REQUEST FOR EXPEDITED TREATMENT OF DEAD,

4 DOWNED, AND SEVERELY ROOT-SPRUNG

5 TREES.

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Interior or

7 the Secretary of Agriculture, as the case may be, shall re8 quest from the appropriate officials in the executive

9 branch the authority to remove dead, downed, or severely

10 root-sprung trees in the areas described in subsection (b)

11 in a manner similar to the alternative arrangements ap12 proved for national forests and national grasslands in

13 Texas in March 1998.

14 (b) AREAS DESCRIBED.—The areas referred to in

15 subsection (a) are the following:

16 (1) Approximately 3,900 acres of spruce beetle

17 infested lands administered by the Bureau of Land

18 Management within the Kenai Quadrangle in the

19 State of Alaska.

20 (2) Approximately 30,000 acres of spruce beetle

21 infested lands in the Chugach National Forest in the

22 State of Alaska.

23 (3) Approximately 100,000 acres of ice storm

24 damaged and Douglas Fir bark beetle infested lands

25 in the Colville National Forest in the State of Wash-
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1 ington and the Idaho-Panhandle National Forests in

2 the State of Idaho.

3 (4) Approximately 50,000 acres of fire damaged

4 and spruce budworm infested lands in the Malheur

5 National Forest in the State of Oregon.

6 (5) Approximately 20,000 acres of mountain

7 pine beetle infested lands in the Black Hills National

8 Forest in the State of South Dakota.

9 (6) Approximately 20,000 acres of National

10 Forest System lands in the Tahoe Basin of Cali11 fornia with insect infestation and fuel-loading condi12 tions.

13 (7) Approximately 10,000 acres of gypsy moth

14 infested lands in the Allegheny National Forest in

15 the State of Pennsylvania.

16 (8) National Forest System lands in Region 8

17 of the Forest Service, including the following:

18 (A) Approximately 3,000 acres of wind

19 damaged lands in the Desoto, Homochito, and

20 Tombigbee National Forests in the State of

21 Mississippi.

22 (B) Approximately 500 acres of ice storm

23 damaged and gypsy moth infested lands in the

24 George Washington and Jefferson National

25 Forests in the State of Virginia.
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1 (C) Approximately 3,000 acres of tornado

2 damaged lands in the Ouachita National Forest

3 in the State of Arkansas and the Kisatchie Na4 tional Forest in the State of Louisiana.

5 (D) Approximately 500 acres of southern

6 pine beetle infested lands in the Croatan Na7 tional Forest in the State of North Carolina.

8 (E) Approximately 3,500 acres of ice

9 storm and wind damaged lands in the Daniel

10 Boone National Forest in the State of Ken11 tucky.

12 (F) Approximately 1,500 acres of ice storm

13 damaged lands in the Bankhead National For14 est in the State of Alabama and the Cherokee

15 National Forest in the State of Tennessee.

16 (G) Approximately 1,000 acres of southern

17 pine beetle infested National Forest System

18 lands in Florida.

19 (c) CONSIDERATION OF REQUESTS.—Upon receipt of

20 a request under subsection (a), the official in the executive

21 branch responsible for considering the request shall

22 promptly consider and either approve or disapprove the

23 request. Not later than 90 days after receiving each re24 quest, the responsible official shall submit to the Com25 mittee on Resources of the House of Representatives and
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1 the Committee on Energy and National Resources of the

2 Senate a report describing the specific reasons for approv3 ing or disapproving the request.

Union Calendar No. 592

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 1524

[Report No. 106–1021]

A BILL

To authorize the continued use on public lands of

the expedited processes successfully used forwindstorm-damaged national forests and grasslands in Texas.

OCTOBER 31, 2000

Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the

State of the Union and ordered to be printed