HR 2886 RFS
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Granite Watershed En-
hancement and Protection Act of 1998’’.
SEC. 
2. 
DEMONSTRATION 
RESOURCE 
MANAGEMENT
PROJECT, STANISLAUS NATIONAL FOREST,
CALIFORNIA, TO ENHANCE AND PROTECT
THE GRANITE WATERSHED.
(a) RESOURCE MANAGEMENT CONTRACT AUTHOR-
IZED.—The Secretary of Agriculture may enter into a con-
tract with a single private contractor to perform multiple
resource management activities on Federal lands within
the Stanislaus National Forest in the State of California
for the purpose of demonstrating enhanced ecosystem
health and water quality, and significantly reducing the
risk of catastrophic wildfire, in the Granite watershed at
a reduced cost to the Government. The contract shall be
for a term of five years.
(b) AUTHORIZED MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES.—The
types of resource management activities performed under
the contract shall include the following:
(1) Reduction of forest fuel loads through the
use of precommercial and commercial thinning and
prescribed burns.
(2) Monitoring of ecosystem health and water
quality in the Granite watershed.
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(3) Monitoring of the presence of wildlife in the
area in which management activities are performed
and the effect of the activities on wildlife presence.
(4) Such other resource management activities
as the Secretary considers appropriate to dem-
onstrate enhanced ecosystem health and water qual-
ity in the Granite watershed.
(c) COMPLIANCE WITH FEDERAL LAW AND SPOT-
TED OWL GUIDELINES.—All resource management activi-
ties performed under the contract shall be performed in
a manner consistent with applicable Federal law and the
standards and guidelines for the conservation of the Cali-
fornia spotted owl (as set forth in the California Spotted
Owl Sierran Province Interim Guidelines or the subse-
quently issued final guidelines, whichever is in effect).
(d) FUNDING.—
(1) SOURCES OF FUNDS.—To provide funds for
the resource management activities to be performed
under the contract, the Secretary may use—
(A) funds appropriated to carry out this
section;
(B) funds specifically provided to the For-
est Service to implement projects to dem-
onstrate enhanced water quality and protect
aquatic and upland resources;
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(C) excess funds that are allocated for the
administration 
and 
management 
of 
the
Stanislaus National Forest, California;
(D) hazardous fuels reduction funds allo-
cated for Region 5 of the Forest Service; and
(E) a contract provision allowing the cost
of performing authorized management activities
described in subsection (b) to be offset by the
values owed to the United States for any forest
products removed by the contractor.
(2) 
PROHIBITION
ON
USE
OF
CERTAIN
FUNDS.—Except as provided in paragraph (1), the
Secretary may not carry out the contract using
funds appropriated for any other unit of the Na-
tional Forest System.
(3) CONDITIONS ON FUNDS TRANSFERS.—Any
transfer of funds under paragraph (1) may be made
only in accordance with the procedures concerning
notice to, and review by, the Committee on Appro-
priations of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Appropriations of the Senate that are
applied by the Secretary in the case of a transfer of
funds between appropriations.
(e) ACCEPTANCE AND USE OF STATE FUNDS.—The
Secretary may accept and use funds provided by the State
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of California to assist in the implementation of the con-
tract under this section.
(f) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—Not later than
February 28 of each year during the term of the contract,
the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report describ-
ing—
(1) the resource management activities per-
formed under the contract during the period covered
by the report;
(2) the source and amount of funds used under
subsection (d) to carry out the contract; and
(3) the resource management activities to be
performed under the contract during the calendar
year in which the report is submitted.
(g) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER LAWS.—Nothing in
this section exempts the contract, or resource management
activities to be performed under the contract, from any
Federal environmental law.
Passed the House of Representatives May 12, 1998.
Attest:
ROBIN H. CARLE,
Clerk.