II 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1646 

To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to require the Secretary of Agriculture to make cost-share and incentive payments for innovative fuels 

management conservation practices, including prescribed grazing management on private grazing land and practices that complement commensurate public land, to prevent the occurrence and spread of, and damages 

caused by, wildfires fueled by invasive species. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 18, 2007 

Mr. REID (for himself and Mr. ENSIGN) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 

and Forestry 

A BILL 

To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to require the 

Secretary of Agriculture to make cost-share and incentive 

payments for innovative fuels management conservation 

practices, including prescribed grazing management on 

private grazing land and practices that complement commensurate public land, to prevent the occurrence and 

spread of, and damages caused by, wildfires fueled by 

invasive species. 

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 ‘‘Wildfire 

3 Presuppression Fuels Management Pilot Program Act of 

4 2007’’. 

5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

6 Congress finds that— 

7 (1) private grazing land in the United States 

8 has experienced dramatic increases in the levels of 

9 cheatgrass and other invasive or noxious weed spe10 cies following wildfires; and 

11 (2) to address the needs of private landowners 

12 with respect to the protection and management of 

13 grazing land, the Secretary of Agriculture should 

14 provide cost-share and incentive payments to the 

15 landowners to develop fuels management plans and 

16 practices and to promote activities— 

17 (A) to protect areas of grazing land and 

18 wildlife habitat that have not been negatively 

19 affected by wildfire; and 

20 (B) to manage the risks of wildfires that 

21 occur— 

22 (i) on public land and rights-of-way 

23 from moving onto private grazing land; 

24 and 

25 (ii) on private land from moving onto 

26 public land and right-of-way. 


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1 SEC. 3. FIRE PRESUPPRESSION CONSERVATION PROGRAM. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1240B of the Food Secu3 rity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2) is amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (a)— 

5 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘2010’’ 

6 and inserting ‘‘2012’’; and 

7 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

8 (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

9 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

10 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

11 the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; 

12 and’’; and 

13 (iii) by adding at the end the fol14 lowing: 

15 ‘‘(C) a producer that develops a fuels man16 agement conservation plan, approved by the 

17 Natural Resources Conservation Service, and 

18 subsequently implements a structural practice 

19 or a land management practice relating to fire 

20 presuppression on private grazing land as de21 scribed in the approved conservation plan, shall 

22 be eligible to receive cost-share payments and 

23 annual incentive payments in accordance with 

24 subsection (i).’’; and 

25 (2) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(i) WILDFIRE PRESUPPRESSION CONSERVATION

2 PROGRAM.— 

3 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For each of fiscal years 

4 2008 through 2012, the Secretary shall provide cost5 share payments under subsection (d) and annual in6 centive payments under subsection (e) to producers 

7 that enter into contracts as described in paragraph 

8 (2) for activities described in paragraph (3). 

9 ‘‘(2) TERM OF CONTRACTS.—Notwithstanding 

10 subsection (b)(2)(A), a contract entered into under 

11 this subsection shall have a term of— 

12 ‘‘(A) not less than 5 years; and 

13 ‘‘(B) not more than 10 years. 

14 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—In addition to 

15 grants under section 1240H, the Secretary may pro16 vide cost-share payments and incentive payments 

17 under this subsection to producers for planning and 

18 carrying out innovative fuels management conserva19 tion plans on private grazing land to help prevent 

20 the occurrence and spread of, and damages caused 

21 by, wildfires fueled by invasive or noxious weed spe22 cies, including activities relating to— 

23 ‘‘(A) managed fuel breaks along a bound24 ary between public and private land to reduce 

25 fuel load, including— 


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1 ‘‘(i) managed grazing practices and 

2 the technology required to implement such 

3 a practice; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) the use of brush strips or mosaic 

5 patches; 

6 ‘‘(B) restoration of fire-damage areas 

7 using adapted plant material, with an emphasis 

8 on using native and adapted grasses and forbs 

9 to vegetate or revegetate the fire-damaged 

10 areas; 

11 ‘‘(C) projects that receive expanded con12 servation innovation grants for technology 

13 transfer training programs relating to fuels 

14 management techniques; 

15 ‘‘(D) protection or restoration of critical 

16 wildlife habitat; and 

17 ‘‘(E) conservation practices designed to re18 duce and manage high fuel loads associated 

19 with woody plant species.’’. 

20 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 1240H(b) 

21 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa– 

22 8(b)) is amended by striking paragraph (2) and inserting 

23 the following: 

24 ‘‘(2) implement projects or activities, such as— 


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1 ‘‘(A) market systems for pollution reduc2 tion; 

3 ‘‘(B) innovative conservation practices, in4 cluding the storing of carbon in the soil; and 

5 ‘‘(C) innovative grazing management ac6 tivities described in section 1240B(i)(3); and’’. 

Æ 


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