II 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 327 

To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior 

to enter into cooperative agreements with State foresters authorizing 

State foresters to provide certain forest, rangeland, and watershed restoration and protection services. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 14, 2013 

Mr. BARRASSO (for himself, Mr. ENZI, Mr. HATCH, Mr. LEE, Mr. JOHNSON

of South Dakota, Mr. THUNE, and Mr. UDALL of Colorado) introduced 

the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee 

on Energy and Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary 

of the Interior to enter into cooperative agreements with 

State foresters authorizing State foresters to provide certain forest, rangeland, and watershed restoration and 

protection services. 

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 ‘‘Good Neighbor For5 estry Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) ELIGIBLE STATE.—The term ‘‘eligible 

4 State’’ means a State that contains National Forest 

5 System land or Bureau of Land Management land 

6 located west of the 100th meridian. 

7 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ 

8 means— 

9 (A) the Secretary of Agriculture, with re10 spect to National Forest System land; or 

11 (B) the Secretary of the Interior, with re12 spect to Bureau of Land Management land. 

13 (3) STATE FORESTER.—The term ‘‘State for14 ester’’ means the head of a State agency with juris15 diction over State forestry programs in an eligible 

16 State. 

17 SEC. 3. COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS AND CONTRACTS. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may enter into a 

19 cooperative agreement or contract (including a sole source 

20 contract) with a State forester to authorize the State for21 ester to provide the forest, rangeland, and watershed res22 toration and protection services described in subsection (b) 

23 on National Forest System land or Bureau of Land Man24 agement land, as applicable, in the eligible State. 


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1 (b) AUTHORIZED SERVICES.—The forest, rangeland, 

2 and watershed restoration and protection services referred 

3 to in subsection (a) include the conduct of— 

4 (1) activities to treat insect-infected trees; 

5 (2) activities to reduce hazardous fuels; and 

6 (3) any other activities to restore or improve 

7 forest, rangeland, and watershed health, including 

8 fish and wildlife habitat. 

9 (c) STATE AS AGENT.—Except as provided in sub10 section (f), a cooperative agreement or contract entered 

11 into under subsection (a) may authorize the State forester 

12 to serve as the agent for the Secretary in providing the 

13 restoration and protection services authorized under sub14 section (a). 

15 (d) SUBCONTRACTS.—In accordance with applicable 

16 contract procedures for the eligible State, a State forester 

17 may enter into subcontracts to provide the restoration and 

18 protection services authorized under a cooperative agree19 ment or contract entered into under subsection (a). 

20 (e) TIMBER SALES.—Subsections (d) and (g) of sec21 tion 14 of the National Forest Management Act of 1976 

22 (16 U.S.C. 472a) shall not apply to services performed 

23 under a cooperative agreement or contract entered into 

24 under subsection (a). 


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1 (f) RETENTION OF NEPA RESPONSIBILITIES.—Any 

2 decision required to be made under the National Environ3 mental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) with 

4 respect to any restoration and protection services to be 

5 provided under this Act by a State forester on National 

6 Forest System land or Bureau of Land Management land, 

7 as applicable, shall not be delegated to a State forester 

8 or any other officer or employee of the eligible State. 

9 (g) APPLICABLE LAW.—The restoration and protec10 tion services to be provided under this Act shall be carried 

11 out on a project-to-project basis under existing authorities 

12 of the Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management, 

13 as applicable. 

Æ 


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