I

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 1524

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

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,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Public Forests Emer5 gency Act of 1999’’.

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

7 The Congress finds the following:

8 (1) Natural catastrophic events in February

9 1998 created potentially dangerous fire and insect
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1 infestation conditions in areas of national forests

2 and national grasslands in Texas, and the removal

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

4 where mortality is expected’’ in these areas was ex5 pedited by the approval of alternative arrangements

6 for that removal.

7 (2) The Administration should be commended

8 for approving those alternative arrangements, which

9 helped prevent the wildfires and insect and disease

10 infestations often associated with dead and dying

11 trees on land, administered by the Secretary of the

12 Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture.

13 (3) Numerous catastrophic forest conditions

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

15 Texas described in paragraph (1) exist on public

16 lands, including National Forest System lands,

17 throughout the United States, and treatment equiva18 lent to that expedited under the alternative arrange19 ments is warranted and needed on these public

20 lands.

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

22 DOWNED, AND SEVERELY ROOT-SPRUNG

23 TREES.

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

25 the Secretary of Agriculture, as the case may be, shall re-
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1 quest from the appropriate officials in the executive

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

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

4 in a manner similar to the alternative arrangements ap5 proved for national forests and national grasslands in

6 Texas in March 1998.

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

8 subsection (a) are the following:

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

10 infested lands administered by the Bureau of Land

11 Management within the Kenai Quadrangle in the

12 State of Alaska.

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

14 infested lands in the Chugach National Forest in the

15 State of Alaska.

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

17 damaged and Douglas Fir bark beetle infested lands

18 in the Colville National Forest in the State of Wash19 ington and the Idaho-Panhandle National Forests in

20 the State of Idaho.

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

22 and spruce budworm infested lands in the Malheur

23 National Forest in the State of Oregon.
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1 (5) Approximately 20,000 acres of mountain

2 pine beetle infested lands in the Black Hills National

3 Forest in the State of South Dakota.

4 (6) Approximately 20,000 acres of National

5 Forest System lands in the Tahoe Basin of Cali6 fornia with insect infestation and fuel-loading condi7 tions.

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

9 infested lands in the Allegheny National Forest in

10 the State of Pennsylvania.

11 (8) National Forest System lands in Region 8

12 of the Forest Service, including the following:

13 (A) Approximately 3,000 acres of wind

14 damaged lands in the Desoto, Homochito, and

15 Tombigbee National Forests in the State of

16 Mississippi.

17 (B) Approximately 500 acres of ice storm

18 damaged and gypsy moth infested lands in the

19 George Washington and Jefferson National

20 Forests in the State of Virginia.

21 (C) Approximately 3,000 acres of tornado

22 damaged lands in the Ouachita National Forest

23 in the State of Arkansas and the Kisatchie Na24 tional Forest in the State of Louisiana.
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1 (D) Approximately 500 acres of southern

2 pine beetle infested lands in the Croatan Na3 tional Forest in the State of North Carolina.

4 (E) Approximately 3,500 acres of ice

5 storm and wind damaged lands in the Daniel

6 Boone National Forest in the State of Ken7 tucky.

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

9 damaged lands in the Bankhead National For10 est in the State of Alabama and the Cherokee

11 National Forest in the State of Tennessee.

12 (G) Approximately 1,000 acres of southern

13 pine beetle infested National Forest System

14 lands in Florida.

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

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

17 branch responsible for considering the request shall

18 promptly consider and either approve or disapprove the

19 request. Not later than 90 days after receiving each re20 quest, the responsible official shall submit to the Com21 mittee on Resources of the House of Representatives and

22 the Committee on Energy and National Resources in the

23 Senate a report describing the specific reasons for approv24 ing or disapproving the request.

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