Legacy Roads and Trails Act

To provide for the Forest Service Legacy Roads and Trails Remediation Program. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Legacy Roads and Trails Act 2. Forest Service Legacy Roads and Trails Remediation Program Public Law 88–657 ( 16 U.S.C. 532 Forest Roads and Trails Act 8. Forest Service Legacy Roads and Trails Remediation Program (a) Establishment The Secretary shall establish the Forest Service Legacy Roads and Trails Remediation Program (referred to in this section as the Program (b) Administration The Program shall be administered by the Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service. (c) Activities In carrying out the Program, the Secretary shall, taking into account predicted changes in weather and hydrology related to global climate change— (1) carry out storm damage risk reduction, including deferred maintenance, repairs, road and trail relocation, and associated activities on National Forest System roads, National Forest System trails, and tunnels and bridges under the jurisdiction of the Forest Service; (2) restore waterways and natural migration for fish and other aquatic species by removing, repairing, or replacing culverts or other infrastructure from such waterways; and (3) decommission National Forest System roads and unauthorized roads and trails under National Forest System jurisdiction in accordance with subsections (f) and (g). (d) Priority In implementing the Program, the Secretary shall give priority to projects that protect or restore— (1) water quality and watershed function; (2) a watershed that supplies a public drinking water system; (3) the habitat of a threatened, endangered, or sensitive fish or wildlife species, or species of conservation concern; or (4) a watershed for which the Secretary has completed a watershed protection and restoration action plan pursuant to section 304 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act ( 16 U.S.C. 6543 (e) National forest system Except with respect to a project carried out on a watershed for which the Secretary has a cooperative agreement under section 323 of the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 ( 16 U.S.C. 1011a (f) Identification of minimum road systems Not later than 4 years after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall identify at the scale of a National Forest System unit or greater, the minimum road system and unneeded roads in accordance with section 212.5(b) of title 36, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date of enactment of this section). (g) Unneeded National Forest System roads As soon as practicable after identifying a road as unneeded under subsection (f), the Secretary shall— (1) decommission such road; or (2) convert such road to a system trail. (h) Review; revision The Secretary shall review, and may revise, an identification made under subsection (f) in accordance with part 212, subpart A of title 36 Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date of enactment of this section). (i) Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 through 2030. .

Summary: Legacy Roads and Trails Act This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish the Forest Service Legacy Roads and Trails Remediation Program. Specifically, under the program, the Forest Service, taking into account predicted changes in weather and hydrology related to global climate change, shall carry out storm damage risk reduction, including deferred maintenance, repairs, road and trail relocation, and associated activities on roads, trails, tunnels, and bridges under the jurisdiction of the Forest Service; restore waterways and natural migration of fish and other aquatic species by removing or replacing culverts or other infrastructure from such waterways; and decommission unneeded roads. In implementing the program, the Forest Service shall give priority to projects that protect or restore water quality and watershed function; a watershed that supplies a public drinking water system; the habitat of a threatened, endangered, or sensitive fish or wildlife species, or a species of conservation concern; or a watershed for which the Forest Service has completed a watershed protection and restoration action plan. The Forest Service shall identify the minimum road system needed for each unit of the National Forest System. USDA shall review, and may revise, an identification of the minimum road system in accordance with federal regulations relating to the administration of the forest transportation system.