(2) other organizations and entities in the inte-
rior West (such as the Western Governors’ Associa-
tion). 
(f) ANNUAL WORK PLANS.—As a condition of the re-
ceipt of funds made available under this Act, for each fiscal 
year, each Institute shall develop in consultation with the 
Secretary, for review by the Secretary, in consultation with 
the Secretary of the Interior, an annual work plan that in-
cludes assurances, satisfactory to the Secretaries, that the 
proposed work of the Institute will serve the informational 
needs of affected entities. 
SEC. 6. COOPERATION BETWEEN INSTITUTES AND FED-
ERAL AGENCIES. 
In carrying out this Act, the Secretary, in consultation 
with the Secretary of the Interior—
(1) to the extent that funds are appropriated for 
the purpose, shall provide financial and technical as-
sistance to the Institutes to carry out the duties of the 
Institutes under section 5; 
(2) shall encourage Federal agencies to use, on a 
cooperative basis, information and expertise provided 
by the Institutes; 
(3) shall encourage cooperation and coordination 
between Federal programs relating to—
(A) ecological restoration;
(B) wildfire risk reduction; and 
(C) wildfire management technologies; 
(4) notwithstanding chapter 63 of title 31, 
United States Code, may—
(A) enter into contracts, cooperative agree-
ments, interagency personal agreements to carry 
out this Act; and 
(B) carry out other transactions under this 
Act; 
(5) may accept funds from other Federal agen-
cies to supplement or fully fund grants made, and 
contracts entered into, by the Secretaries; 
(6) may support a program of internships for 
qualified individuals at the undergraduate and grad-
uate levels to carry out the educational and training 
objectives of this Act; 
(7) shall encourage professional education and 
public information activities relating to the purposes 
of this Act; and 
(8) may promulgate such regulations as the Sec-
retaries determine are necessary to carry out this Act. 
SEC. 7. MONITORING AND EVALUATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 5 years after the 
date of enactment of this Act, and every 5 years thereafter, 
the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Inte-
rior, shall complete and submit to the appropriate commit-
tees of Congress a detailed evaluation of the programs and 
activities of each Institute—
(1) to ensure, to the maximum extent prac-
ticable, that the research, communication tools, and 
information transfer activities of each Institute are 
sufficient to achieve the purposes of this Act, includ-
ing—
(A) implementing active adaptive ecosystem 
management practices at the landscape level; 
(B) reducing unnecessary planning costs; 
(C) avoiding duplicative and conflicting ef-
forts; 
(D) increasing public acceptance of active 
adaptive ecosystem management practices; and 
(E) achieving general satisfaction on the 
part of affected entities; and 
(2) to determine the extent to which each Insti-
tute has implemented its duties under section 5(c); 
(3) to determine whether continued provision of 
Federal assistance to each Institute is warranted. 
(b) TERMINATION OF ASSISTANCE.—If, as a result of 
an evaluation under subsection (a), the Secretary, in con-
sultation with the Secretary of the Interior, determines that 
an Institute does not qualify for further Federal assistance
under this Act, the Institute shall receive no further Federal 
assistance under this Act until such time as the qualifica-
tions of the Institute are reestablished to the satisfaction 
of the Secretaries. 
SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro-
priated to carry out this Act $15,000,000 for each fiscal 
year. 
(b) LIMITATION.—No funds made available under sub-
section (a) shall be used to pay the costs of constructing 
any facilities.
Union Calendar No. 228
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 2696
[Report No. 108–397, Part I] 
A BILL 
To establish Institutes to demonstrate and promote 
the use of adaptive ecosystem management to re-
duce the risk of wildfires, and restore the health 
of fire-adapted forest and woodland ecosystems 
of the interior West. 
NOVEMBER 21, 2003
Reported from the Committee on Resources with an 
amendment 
NOVEMBER 21, 2003
Referral to the Committee on Agriculture extended for a 
period ending not later than November 21, 2003
NOVEMBER 21, 2003
The Committee on Agriculture discharged; committed to 
the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the 
Union and ordered to be printed