the time of the closure that the closure will not extend
beyond one year.
(2) FOREST
ROAD.—The term ‘‘forest road’’
means any road on Federal lands.
(3) FEDERAL LANDS.—The term ‘‘Federal lands’’
means—
(A) lands administered by the Bureau of
Land Management; and
(B) lands within units of the National For-
est System.
(4) STATE
AND
LOCAL
GOVERNMENT
OFFI-
CIALS.—The term ‘‘State and local government offi-
cials’’ means elected officials of States and counties
within which Federal lands are located.
(5) SECRETARY
CONCERNED.—The term ‘‘Sec-
retary concerned’’ means—
(A) with respect to the Federal lands de-
scribed in paragraph (3)(A), the Secretary of the
Interior; and
(B) with respect to the Federal lands de-
scribed in paragraph (3)(B), the Secretary of
Agriculture.
(b) ADVANCE NOTICE
OF PERMANENT ROAD CLO-
SURES TO STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS.—
(1) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this subsection is
to ensure that the Secretary concerned involves State
and local government officials in the process by which
the Secretary concerned considers and plans for the
potential permanent closure of forest roads on Federal
lands.
(2) ANNUAL
MEETINGS
REQUIRED.—At least
once each fiscal year, the Secretary concerned shall
meet with appropriate State and local government of-
ficials to describe all agency plans or proposals that,
within the next two fiscal years, will or may result
in the permanent closure of forest roads on Federal
lands. Such agency plans or proposals include project
proposals, land management plan amendments or re-
visions, resource management plan amendments or
revisions, and regional or subregional plans or pro-
posals
(3) ELEMENTS OF NOTICE.—At a meeting under
paragraph (2), the Secretary concerned shall provide
information, using maps and other means, that at a
minimum—
(A) shows forest roads selected or proposed
for permanent closure;
(B) shows traffic patterns and volumes on
the roads over the previous five years; and
(C) explains how users of the roads will be
adversely affected with longer travel times or ad-
verse travel conditions by the permanent closure
of the roads.
(4) SPECIAL RULE FOR FIRST MEETING.—At the
first meeting conducted under paragraph (2) for a
State or local government, the Secretary concerned
shall also provide information on all forest roads that
have been subject to permanent closure in that State
during the previous five years. The information shall
include a map showing the location of the forest roads
and a description of the methods and costs of the per-
manent closure of the forest roads.
(c) PUBLIC NOTICE AND COMMENT REQUIREMENTS.—
(1) LOCAL NOTICE.—Before proceeding with the
permanent closure of a forest road, the Secretary con-
cerned shall publish an announcement describing the
proposed closure in the local newspaper of record for
the area likely to be affected by the permanent closure
of the road. The announcement shall include a de-
scription and map of the forest road selected or pro-
posed for permanent closure and a description of any
comments generated regarding the closure in meetings
with State and local government officials under sub-
section (b).
(2) COMMENT PERIOD.—The permanent closure
of a forest road may not take effect until after the end
of the 90-day period beginning on the date that the
announcement under paragraph (1) was published re-
garding that road so as to permit the public to sub-
mit comments regarding the decision to select or pro-
pose the forest road for permanent closure.
(d) PROHIBITION ON PERMANENT ROAD CLOSURES.—
The permanent closure of a forest road is prohibited
unless—
(1) advance notice of the permanent closure of
the road is provided to the appropriate State and
local government officials in the manner provided in
subsection (b); and
(2) the Secretary complies with the public notice
and comment requirements under subsection (c).
(e) APPLICATION OF REQUIREMENTS.—The require-
ments of this section shall take effect on the date of the en-
actment of this Act, except that the prohibition contained
in subsection (d)(1) shall not apply to prohibit the perma-
nent closure of any forest road implemented during the fis-
cal year in which this section is enacted.
(f) EFFECT ON VALID AND EXISTING RIGHTS.—Noth-
ing in this section shall invalidate rights-of-way designated
under section 2477 of the Revised Statutes of 1878 (43
U.S.C. 932) or other valid and existing rights, including
rights of ingress and egress.
(g) COMPLIANCE WITH STATE LAWS.—In carrying
out this section with respect to a forest road, the Secretary
concerned shall comply with the applicable laws of the State
in which the forest road is located.
SEC. 3. EMERGENCIES.
(a) EMERGENCY ROAD CLOSURES.—Subject to sub-
section (b), the requirements of section 2 shall not apply
to emergency road closures where life or property would be
endangered or threatened in the absence of the road closure.
(b) LENGTH OF CLOSURE.—If an emergency road clo-
sure will extend beyond one year, the Secretary concerned
shall comply with the requirements of section 2 within three
months after the date on which the emergency road closure
commenced.
Union Calendar No. 330
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 1523
[Report No. 106–604, Part I]
A BILL
To establish mandatory procedures to be followed
by the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land
Management in advance of the permanent closure
of any forest road so as to ensure local public
participation in the decisionmaking process.
MAY 3, 2000
Reported from the Committee on Resource with an
amendment
MAY 3, 2000
Referral to the Committee on Agriculture extended for a
period ending not later than May 3, 2000
MAY 3, 2000
Committee on Agriculture discharged; committed to the
Committee of the Whole House on the State of the
Union and ordered to be printed.