I 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2401 
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 res-
toration and protection services. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 17, 2013 
Mr. COTTON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agri-
culture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic-
tion of the committee concerned 
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 cer-
tain forest, rangeland, and watershed restoration and 
protection services. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Good Neighbor For-
estry Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ELIGIBLE
STATE.—The term ‘‘eligible 
State’’ means a State that contains National Forest 
System land or Bureau of Land Management land. 
(2) 
SECRETARY.—The 
term 
‘‘Secretary’’ 
means— 
(A) the Secretary of Agriculture, with re-
spect to National Forest System land; or 
(B) the Secretary of the Interior, with re-
spect to Bureau of Land Management land. 
(3) STATE FORESTER.—The term ‘‘State for-
ester’’ means the head of a State agency with juris-
diction over State forestry programs in an eligible 
State. 
SEC. 3. COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS AND CONTRACTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may enter into a 
cooperative agreement or contract (including a sole source 
contract) with a State forester to authorize the State for-
ester to provide the forest, rangeland, and watershed res-
toration, management, and protection services described 
in subsection (b) on National Forest System land or Bu-
reau of Land Management land, as applicable, in the eligi-
ble State. 
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(b) AUTHORIZED SERVICES.—The forest, rangeland, 
and watershed restoration, management, and protection 
services referred to in this section include the conduct of— 
(1) activities to treat insect-infected forests; 
(2) activities to reduce hazardous fuels; 
(3) activities involving commercial harvesting or 
other mechanical vegetation treatments; or 
(4) any other activities to restore or improve 
forest, rangeland, and watershed health, including 
fish and wildlife habitat 
(c) STATE AS AGENT.—Except as provided in sub-
section (f), a cooperative agreement or contract entered 
into under subsection (a) may authorize the State forester 
to serve as the agent for the Secretary in providing the 
restoration, management, and protection services author-
ized under subsection (a). 
(d) SUBCONTRACTS.—In accordance with applicable 
contract procedures for the eligible State, a State forester 
may enter into subcontracts to provide the restoration, 
management, and protection services authorized under a 
cooperative agreement or contract entered into under sub-
section (a). 
(e) TIMBER SALES.—Subsections (d) and (g) of sec-
tion 14 of the National Forest Management Act of 1976 
(16 U.S.C. 472a) shall not apply to services performed 
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under a cooperative agreement or contract entered into 
under subsection (a). 
(f) RETENTION OF NEPA RESPONSIBILITIES.—Any 
decision required to be made under the National Environ-
mental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) with 
respect to any restoration, management, and protection 
services to be provided under this Act by a State forester 
on National Forest System land or Bureau of Land Man-
agement land, as applicable, shall not be delegated to a 
State forester or any other officer or employee of the eligi-
ble State. 
(g) APPLICABLE LAW.—The restoration, manage-
ment, and protection services to be provided under this 
Act shall be carried out on a project-to-project basis under 
existing authorities of the Forest Service or Bureau of 
Land Management, as applicable. 
Æ 
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