emergencies are fully repaid by the responsible emergency
management agency: Provided further, That not less than
50 percent of any unobligated balances remaining (exclu-
sive of amounts for hazardous fuels reduction) at the end
of fiscal year 2004 shall be transferred, as repayment for
past advances that have not been repaid, to the fund es-
tablished pursuant to section 3 of Public Law 71–319 (16
U.S.C. 576 et seq.): Provided further, That notwith-
standing any other provision of law, $8,000,000 of funds
appropriated under this appropriation shall be used for
Fire Science Research in support of the Joint Fire Science
Program: Provided further, That all authorities for the use
of funds, including the use of contracts, grants, and coop-
erative agreements, available to execute the Forest and
Rangeland Research appropriation, are also available in
the utilization of these funds for Fire Science Research:
Provided further, That funds provided shall be available
for emergency rehabilitation and restoration, hazardous
fuels reduction activities in the urban-wildland interface,
support to Federal emergency response, and wildfire sup-
pression activities of the Forest Service: Provided further,
That of the funds provided, $266,238,000 is for hazardous
fuels reduction activities, $13,000,000 is for rehabilitation
and restoration, $23,000,000 is for research activities and
to make competitive research grants pursuant to the For-
est and Rangeland Renewable Resources Research Act, as
amended (16 U.S.C. 1641 et seq.), $40,000,000 is for
State fire assistance, $8,000,000 is for volunteer fire as-
sistance, $15,000,000 is for forest health activities on
Federal lands and $10,000,000 is for forest health activi-
ties on State and private lands: Provided further, That
amounts in this paragraph may be transferred to the
‘‘State and Private Forestry’’, ‘‘National Forest System’’,
and ‘‘Forest and Rangeland Research’’ accounts to fund
State fire assistance, volunteer fire assistance, forest
health management, forest and rangeland research, vege-
tation and watershed management, heritage site rehabili-
tation, and wildlife and fish habitat management and res-
toration: Provided further, That transfers of any amounts
in excess of those authorized in this paragraph, shall re-
quire approval of the House and Senate Committees on
Appropriations in compliance with reprogramming proce-
dures contained in House Report 108–330: Provided fur-
ther, That the costs of implementing any cooperative
agreement between the Federal Government and any non-
Federal entity may be shared, as mutually agreed on by
the affected parties: Provided further, That in addition to
funds provided for State Fire Assistance programs, and
subject to all authorities available to the Forest Service
under the State and Private Forestry Appropriations, up
to $15,000,000 may be used on adjacent non-Federal
lands for the purpose of protecting communities when haz-
ard reduction activities are planned on national forest
lands that have the potential to place such communities
at risk: Provided further, That included in funding for haz-
ardous fuel reduction is $5,000,000 for implementing the
Community Forest Restoration Act, Public Law 106–393,
title VI, and any portion of such funds shall be available
for use on non-Federal lands in accordance with authori-
ties available to the Forest Service under the State and
Private Forestry Appropriation: Provided further, That in
using the funds provided in this Act for hazardous fuels
reduction activities, the Secretary of Agriculture may con-
duct fuel reduction treatments on Federal lands using all
contracting and hiring authorities available to the Sec-
retary applicable to hazardous fuel reduction activities
under the wildland fire management accounts: Provided
further, That notwithstanding Federal Government pro-
curement and contracting laws, the Secretaries may con-
duct fuel reduction treatments, rehabilitation and restora-
tion, and other activities authorized under this heading on
and adjacent to Federal lands using grants and coopera-
tive agreements: Provided further, That notwithstanding
Federal Government procurement and contracting laws, in
order to provide employment and training opportunities
to people in rural communities, the Secretaries may award
contracts, including contracts for monitoring activities, to
local private, non-profit, or cooperative entities; Youth
Conservation Corps crews or related partnerships, with
State, local and non-profit youth groups; small or micro-
businesses; or other entities that will hire or train a sig-
nificant percentage of local people to complete such con-
tracts: Provided further, That the authorities described
above relating to contracts, grants, and cooperative agree-
ments are available until all funds provided in this title
for hazardous fuels reduction activities in the urban
wildland interface are obligated: Provided further, That
the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agri-
culture may authorize the transfer of funds appropriated
for wildland fire management, in an aggregate amount not
to exceed $12,000,000, between the Departments when
such transfers would facilitate and expedite jointly funded
wildland fire management programs and projects.
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT AND MAINTENANCE
For necessary expenses of the Forest Service, not
otherwise provided for, $522,940,000, to remain available
until expended for construction, reconstruction, mainte-
nance and acquisition of buildings and other facilities, and
for construction, reconstruction, repair, decommissioning,
and maintenance of forest roads and trails by the Forest
Service as authorized by 16 U.S.C. 532–538 and 23
U.S.C. 101 and 205: Provided, That up to $15,000,000
of the funds provided herein for road maintenance shall
be available for the decommissioning of roads, including
unauthorized roads not part of the transportation system,
which are no longer needed: Provided further, That no
funds shall be expended to decommission any system road
until notice and an opportunity for public comment has
been provided on each decommissioning project.
LAND ACQUISITION
For expenses necessary to carry out the provisions
of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965,
as amended (16 U.S.C. 460l–4 through 11), including ad-
ministrative expenses, and for acquisition of land or wa-
ters, or interest therein, in accordance with statutory au-
thority applicable to the Forest Service, $15,500,000, to
be derived from the Land and Water Conservation Fund
and to remain available until expended.
ACQUISITION OF LANDS FOR NATIONAL FORESTS SPECIAL
ACTS
For acquisition of lands within the exterior bound-
aries of the Cache, Uinta, and Wasatch National Forests,
Utah; the Toiyabe National Forest, Nevada; and the An-
geles, San Bernardino, Sequoia, and Cleveland National
Forests, California, as authorized by law, $1,069,000, to
be derived from forest receipts.
ACQUISITION OF LANDS TO COMPLETE LAND EXCHANGES
For acquisition of lands, such sums, to be derived
from funds deposited by State, county, or municipal gov-
ernments, public school districts, or other public school au-
thorities, and for authorized expenditures from funds de-
posited by non-Federal parties pursuant to Land Sale and
Exchange Acts, pursuant to the Act of December 4, 1967,
as amended (16 U.S.C. 484a), to remain available until
expended.
RANGE BETTERMENT FUND
For necessary expenses of range rehabilitation, pro-
tection, and improvement, 50 percent of all moneys re-
ceived during the prior fiscal year, as fees for grazing do-
mestic livestock on lands in National Forests in the 16
Western States, pursuant to section 401(b)(1) of Public
Law 94–579, as amended, to remain available until ex-
pended, of which not to exceed 6 percent shall be available
for administrative expenses associated with on-the-ground
range rehabilitation, protection, and improvements.
GIFTS, DONATIONS AND BEQUESTS FOR FOREST AND
RANGELAND RESEARCH
For expenses authorized by 16 U.S.C. 1643(b),
$65,000, to remain available until expended, to be derived
from the fund established pursuant to the above Act.
MANAGEMENT OF NATIONAL FOREST LANDS FOR
SUBSISTENCE USES
For necessary expenses of the Forest Service to man-
age Federal lands in Alaska for subsistence uses under
title VIII of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conserva-
tion Act (Public Law 96–487), $5,962,000 available until
expended.
ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS, FOREST SERVICE
Appropriations to the Forest Service for the current
fiscal year shall be available for: (1) purchase of not to
exceed 124 passenger motor vehicles of which 21 will be
used primarily for law enforcement purposes and of which
124 shall be for replacement; acquisition of 25 passenger
motor vehicles from excess sources, and hire of such vehi-
cles; purchase, operation, maintenance, and acquisition of
aircraft from excess sources to maintain the operable fleet
at 195 aircraft for use in Forest Service wildland fire pro-
grams and other Forest Service programs; notwith-
standing other provisions of law, existing aircraft being
replaced may be sold, with proceeds derived or trade-in
value used to offset the purchase price for the replacement
aircraft; (2) services pursuant to 7 U.S.C. 2225, and not
to exceed $100,000 for employment under 5 U.S.C. 3109;
(3) purchase, erection, and alteration of buildings and
other public improvements (7 U.S.C. 2250); (4) acquisi-
tion of land, waters, and interests therein pursuant to 7
U.S.C. 428a; (5) for expenses pursuant to the Volunteers
in the National Forest Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 558a,
558d, and 558a note); (6) the cost of uniforms as author-
ized by 5 U.S.C. 5901–5902; and (7) for debt collection
contracts in accordance with 31 U.S.C. 3718(c).
Any appropriations or funds available to the Forest
Service may be transferred to the Wildland Fire Manage-
ment appropriation for forest firefighting, emergency re-
habilitation of burned-over or damaged lands or waters
under its jurisdiction, and fire preparedness due to severe
burning conditions upon notification of the House and
Senate Committees on Appropriations and if and only if
all previously appropriated emergency contingent funds
under the heading ‘‘Wildland Fire Management’’ have
been released by the President and apportioned and all
wildfire suppression funds under the heading ‘‘Wildland
Fire Management’’ are obligated.
The first transfer of funds into the Wildland Fire
Management account shall include unobligated funds, if
available, from the Land Acquisition account and the For-
est Legacy program within the State and Private Forestry
account.
Funds appropriated to the Forest Service shall be
available for assistance to or through the Agency for Inter-
national Development and the Foreign Agricultural Serv-
ice in connection with forest and rangeland research, tech-
nical information, and assistance in foreign countries, and
shall be available to support forestry and related natural
resource activities outside the United States and its terri-
tories and possessions, including technical assistance, edu-
cation and training, and cooperation with United States
and international organizations.
None of the funds made available to the Forest Serv-
ice under this Act shall be subject to transfer under the
provisions of section 702(b) of the Department of Agri-
culture Organic Act of 1944 (7 U.S.C. 2257) or 7 U.S.C.
147b.
None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made
available by this Act shall be used to pay the salaries and
expenses of personnel to carry out section 8002 of the
Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002.
None of the funds available to the Forest Service may
be reprogrammed without the advance approval of the
House and Senate Committees on Appropriations in ac-
cordance with the reprogramming procedures contained in
House Report 108–330.
Not more than $72,467,000 of the funds available to
the Forest Service shall be transferred to the Working
Capital Fund of the Department of Agriculture.
Funds available to the Forest Service shall be avail-
able to conduct a program of not less than $2,000,000
for high priority projects within the scope of the approved
budget which shall be carried out by the Youth Conserva-
tion Corps.
Of the funds available to the Forest Service, $2,500
is available to the Chief of the Forest Service for official
reception and representation expenses.
Pursuant to sections 405(b) and 410(b) of Public
Law 101–593, of the funds available to the Forest Service,
$3,300,000 may be advanced in a lump sum to the Na-
tional Forest Foundation to aid conservation partnership
projects in support of the Forest Service mission, without
regard to when the Foundation incurs expenses, for ad-
ministrative expenses or projects on or benefitting Na-
tional Forest System lands or related to Forest Service
programs: Provided, That of the Federal funds made
available to the Foundation, $300,000 may be used for
Forest Service Centennial activities and, of the total avail-
able to the Foundation, no more than $350,000 shall be
available for administrative expenses: Provided further,
That the Foundation shall obtain, by the end of the period
of Federal financial assistance, private contributions to
match on at least one-for-one basis funds made available
by the Forest Service: Provided further, That the Founda-
tion may transfer Federal funds to a non-Federal recipient
for a project at the same rate that the recipient has ob-
tained the non-Federal matching funds: Provided further,
That authorized investments of Federal funds held by the
Foundation may be made only in interest-bearing obliga-
tions of the United States or in obligations guaranteed as
to both principal and interest by the United States.
Pursuant to section 2(b)(2) of Public Law 98–244,
$2,650,000 of the funds available to the Forest Service
shall be available for matching funds to the National Fish
and Wildlife Foundation, as authorized by 16 U.S.C.
3701–3709, and may be advanced in a lump sum to aid
conservation partnership projects in support of the Forest
Service mission, without regard to when expenses are in-
curred, for projects on or benefitting National Forest Sys-
tem lands or related to Forest Service programs: Provided,
That the Foundation shall obtain, by the end of the period
of Federal financial assistance, private contributions to
match on at least one-for-one basis funds advanced by the
Forest Service: Provided further, That the Foundation
may transfer Federal funds to a non-Federal recipient for
a project at the same rate that the recipient has obtained
the non-Federal matching funds.
Funds appropriated to the Forest Service shall be
available for interactions with and providing technical as-
sistance to rural communities for sustainable rural devel-
opment purposes.
Funds appropriated to the Forest Service shall be
available for payments to counties within the Columbia
River Gorge National Scenic Area, pursuant to sections
14(c)(1) and (2), and section 16(a)(2) of Public Law 99–
663.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any ap-
propriations or funds available to the Forest Service not
to exceed $500,000 may be used to reimburse the Office
of the General Counsel (OGC), Department of Agri-
culture, for travel and related expenses incurred as a re-
sult of OGC assistance or participation requested by the
Forest Service at meetings, training sessions, management
reviews, land purchase negotiations and similar non-litiga-
tion related matters. Future budget justifications for both
the Forest Service and the Department of Agriculture
should clearly display the sums previously transferred and
the requested funding transfers.