I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4233 
To amend the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to expand the areas 
of Federal land on which hazardous fuel reduction projects may be 
conducted under that Act, to add protection of infrastructure in rural 
communities as an additional purpose of that Act, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 8, 2009 
Ms. HERSETH SANDLIN (for herself, Mr. WALDEN, Mr. BAIRD, Mrs. 
MCMORRIS RODGERS, and Mr. SCHRADER) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to 
the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently de-
termined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 
to expand the areas of Federal land on which hazardous 
fuel reduction projects may be conducted under that 
Act, to add protection of infrastructure in rural commu-
nities as an additional purpose of that Act, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Healthy Forests Res-
toration Amendments Act of 2009’’. 
SEC. 2. ADDITIONAL PURPOSE OF ACT. 
Section 2(6) of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act 
of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6501(6)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of subpara-
graph (B); 
(2) by striking the period at the end of sub-
paragraph (C) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new sub-
paragraph: 
‘‘(D) to protect infrastructure in rural 
communities.’’. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE. 
Section 101(16)(A) of the Healthy Forests Restora-
tion Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6511(16)(A)) is amended by 
inserting after ‘‘protection plan’’ the following: ‘‘, as estab-
lished in the manner described in section 101(3)’’. 
SEC. 4. EXPANSION OF FEDERAL LAND ELIGIBLE FOR HAZ-
ARDOUS FUEL REDUCTION PROJECTS. 
(a) COVERED
LANDS.—Section 102(a) of the 
Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 
6512(a)) is amended— 
(1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 
inserting ‘‘necessary connected actions (as described 
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in section 1508.25(a)1 of title 40, Code of Federal 
Regulations), and forest and rangeland health res-
toration,’’ 
after 
‘‘hazardous 
fuels 
reduction 
projects,’’; 
(2) by striking paragraphs (2), (3), and (4) and 
inserting the following new paragraphs: 
‘‘(2) condition class 2 or condition class 3 Fed-
eral land located within fire regime I, fire regime II, 
or fire regime III; 
‘‘(3) Federal land on which windthrow or blow-
down, ice storm damage, the existence of an infesta-
tion of disease or insects, or the presence of such an 
infestation on immediately adjacent land and the 
risk it will spread, poses a significant threat to a 
forest or rangeland resource on the Federal land or 
adjacent non-Federal land; and’’; and 
(3) by redesignating paragraph (5) as para-
graph (4) and, in such paragraph, by striking ‘‘para-
graphs (1) through (4)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraphs 
(1) through (3)’’. 
(b) ACREAGE
LIMITATION.—Section 102 of the 
Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 
6512) is amended by striking subsection (c). 
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SEC. 5. FUNDING PRIORITIES. 
Section 103(d)(1)(A) of the Healthy Forests Restora-
tion Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6513(d)(1)(A)) is amended 
by inserting after ‘‘interface’’ the following: ‘‘, as estab-
lished in the manner described in section 101(3)’’. 
SEC. 6. ALTERNATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS. 
Subsection (d) of section 104 of the Healthy Forests 
Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6514) is amended to 
read as follows: 
‘‘(d) 
ALTERNATIVE
ANALYSIS
PROCESS
FOR 
PROJECTS IN WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE.— 
‘‘(1) PROPOSED AGENCY ACTION AND NO AC-
TION ALTERNATIVE.—The Secretary is not required 
to study, develop, or describe more than the pro-
posed agency action and a no action alternative in 
the environmental assessment or environmental im-
pact statement prepared pursuant to section 102(2) 
of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(42 U.S.C. 4332(2)) for an authorized hazardous 
fuel reduction project that is proposed to be con-
ducted— 
‘‘(A) in the wildland-urban interface, as es-
tablished in the manner described in section 
101(3); 
‘‘(B) if subparagraph (A) does not apply, 
in the wildland-urban interface located no fur-
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ther than 11⁄2 miles from the boundary of an 
at-risk community; or 
‘‘(C) on Federal land identified as condi-
tion class 2 or condition class 3 and not with-
drawn in this Act. 
‘‘(2) ADDITIONAL ALTERNATIVE.—If an at-risk 
community has adopted a community wildfire pro-
tection plan in the manner described in section 
101(3) and the proposed agency action for an au-
thorized hazardous fuel reduction project does not 
implement the recommendations in the plan regard-
ing the general location and basic method of treat-
ments, the Secretary shall evaluate the recommenda-
tions in the plan as an additional alternative to the 
proposed agency action in the environmental assess-
ment or environmental impact statement prepared 
pursuant to section 102(2) of the National Environ-
mental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)).’’. 
Æ 
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