I
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 858
To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a pilot project on designated
lands within Plumas, Lassen, and Tahoe National Forests in the State
of California to demonstrate the effectiveness of the resource manage-
ment activities proposed by the Quincy Library Group and to amend
current land and resource management plans for these national forests
to consider the incorporation of these resource management activities.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 27, 1997
Mr. HERGER (for himself, Mr. FAZIO of California, Mr. SMITH of Oregon,
and Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Resources, and in addition to the Committee
on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speak-
er, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the ju-
risdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a pilot
project on designated lands within Plumas, Lassen, and
Tahoe National Forests in the State of California to
demonstrate the effectiveness of the resource manage-
ment activities proposed by the Quincy Library Group
and to amend current land and resource management
plans for these national forests to consider the incorpora-
tion of these resource management activities.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Quincy Library Group
Forest Recovery and Economic Stability Act of 1997’’.
SEC. 2. PILOT PROJECT FOR PLUMAS, LASSEN, AND TAHOE
NATIONAL FORESTS TO IMPLEMENT QUINCY
LIBRARY GROUP PROPOSAL.
(a) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the
term ‘‘Quincy Library Group Proposal of 1993’’ means
the agreement reached in 1993 by a coalition of represent-
atives of the timber industry, environmental organizations,
citizens, and local communities that formed in northern
California to develop a resource management program for
Federal lands in the Sierra Nevada.
(b) PILOT PROJECT REQUIRED.—
(1) IMPLEMENTATION
AND
PURPOSE.—The
Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Forest
Service, shall conduct a pilot project on the Federal
lands described in paragraph (2) to implement and
demonstrate the effectiveness of the resource man-
agement activities described in subsection (d), as
recommended in the Quincy Library Group Proposal
of 1993.
(2) PILOT PROJECT AREA.—The Secretary shall
conduct the pilot project on the Federal lands within
Plumas National Forest, Lassen National Forest,
and the Sierraville Ranger District of Tahoe Na-
tional Forest in the State of California designated as
‘‘Available for Group Selection’’ on the map entitled
‘‘Quincy Library Group Community Stability Pro-
posal’’, dated June 1993. The map shall be on file
and available for inspection in the appropriate of-
fices of the Forest Service.
(c) EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN LANDS; EXCEPTION.—
(1) EXCLUSION.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), all spotted owl habitat areas and pro-
tected activity centers located within the pilot project
area designated under subsection (b)(2) will be de-
ferred from timber harvesting during the term of the
pilot project.
(2) 
EXCEPTION
FOR
DESIGNATED
CATA-
STROPHIC EVENT AREAS.—The Secretary may des-
ignate an area within the pilot project area that is
otherwise precluded from timber harvesting pursu-
ant to paragraph (1) and subsection (b)(2) as a cat-
astrophic event area in which the resource manage-
ment activities described in subsection (d) may be
applied if the Secretary, upon completion of an envi-
ronmental impact statement, finds that—
(A) the area proposed for designation has
experienced catastrophic disturbances from
wildfires, insect infestations, disease, drought,
or other natural causes and will suffer further
environmental degradation, such as soil erosion,
stream damage, or habitat loss, in the absence
of the resource management activities; and
(B) implementation of one or more re-
source management activities described in sub-
section (d) in the area proposed for designation
is likely to reduce or prevent continued environ-
mental degradation.
(3) NOTICE OF PROPOSED DESIGNATION.—Im-
mediately upon publication of the draft environ-
mental impact statement required under paragraph
(2), the Secretary shall publish in the Federal Reg-
ister notice of any prospective decision to designate
a catastrophic event area under such paragraph on
the basis of the environmental impact statement.
The notice shall—
(A) set forth the location of the affected
area;
(B) describe the forest health conditions in
such area;
(C) provide the reasons for proposing to
designate the area as a catastrophic event area;
and
(D) contain a brief description of the re-
source management activity or activities that
the Secretary proposes to select for the area.
(4) PUBLIC
COMMENT.—The Secretary shall
provide a 45-day period for the submission of public
comments regarding a draft environmental impact
statement prepared under paragraph (2) and any
prospective decision to designate, on the basis of the
environmental impact statement, a catastrophic
event area. The comment period shall begin on the
date of the publication of the draft environmental
impact statement or the date notice is published
under paragraph (3) of the prospective decision to
designate the catastrophic event area, whichever is
later. During the comment period, the Secretary
shall hold a hearing on the decision in a community
near the area proposed for designation.
(d) RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES.—During
the term of the pilot project, the Secretary shall implement
and carry out the following resource management activi-
ties on the Federal lands included within the pilot project
area designated under subsection (b)(2):
(1) Construction of a strategic system of defen-
sible, shaded fuelbreaks, consistent with Quincy Li-
brary Group Proposal of 1993, on not less than
40,000, but not more than 60,000, acres per year.
(2) Implementation, on an acreage rather than
volume basis, of uneven-aged forest management
prescriptions utilizing individual tree selection and
group selection, as described in the Quincy Library
Group Proposal of 1993, to achieve a desired future
condition of an all-age, multi-story, fire resistant for-
est.
(e) COST-EFFECTIVENESS.—In conducting the pilot
project, Secretary shall use the most cost-effective means
available, as determined by the Secretary, to implement
resource management activities described in subsection
(d).
(f) EFFECT ON MULTIPLE USE ACTIVITIES.—The
Secretary shall not rely on the resource management ac-
tivities described in subsection (d) as a basis for adminis-
trative action limiting other multiple use activities on Fed-
eral lands included within the pilot project area designated
under subsection (b)(2).
(g) FUNDING.—
(1) SOURCE
OF
FUNDS.—In conducting the
pilot project, the Secretary shall use—
(A) those funds specifically provided to the
Forest Service by the Secretary to begin imple-
menting resource management activities accord-
ing to the Quincy Library Group Proposal of
1993; and
(B) other funds as are appropriated for
the administration of Plumas National Forest,
Lassen National Forest, and the Sierraville
Ranger District of Tahoe National Forest.
(2) 
PROHIBITION
ON
USE
OF
CERTAIN
FUNDS.—The Secretary may not conduct the pilot
project using funds appropriated for any other unit
of the National Forest System.
(3) FLEXIBILITY.—During the term of the pilot
project, the forest supervisors of Plumas National
Forest, Lassen National Forest, and Tahoe National
Forest may allocate and use all accounts available
for the administration of Plumas National Forest,
Lassen National Forest, and the Sierraville Ranger
District of Tahoe National Forest to perform the re-
source management activities described in subsection
(d).
(h) TERM OF PILOT PROJECT.—The Secretary shall
conduct the pilot project during the period beginning on
the date of the enactment of this Act and ending on the
later of the following:
(1) The date on which the Secretary completes
amendment of the land and resource management
plans for Plumas National Forest, Lassen National
Forest, and Tahoe National Forest pursuant to sub-
section (i).
(2) The date that is five years after the date of
the enactment of this Act.
(i) CORRESPONDING FOREST PLAN AMENDMENTS.—
Commencing on the date of the enactment of this Act, the
Secretary shall initiate a process to amend the land and
resource management plans for Plumas National Forest,
Lassen National Forest, and Tahoe National Forest to,
where appropriate—
(1) incorporate the pilot project and area des-
ignations made by subsection (b) and the resource
management activities described in subsection (d);
and
(2) make other changes warranted by the analy-
ses conducted in compliance with section 102(2) of
the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42
U.S.C. 4332(2)), section 6 of the Forest and Range-
land Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16
U.S.C. 1604), and other applicable laws.
(j) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—Not later than
January 1 of each year during the term of the pilot
project, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report
on the status of the pilot project. The report shall include
at least the following:
(1) A complete accounting of the use of funds
made available under subsection (g)(1)(A) until such
funds are fully expended.
(2) A complete accounting of the use of funds
and accounts made available under subsection (g)(1)
for the previous fiscal year, including a schedule of
the amounts drawn from each account used to per-
form resource management activities described in
subsection (d).
(3) A description of total acres treated, forest
health improvements, fire risk reductions, water
yield increases, and other natural resources-related
benefits achieved by the implementation of the re-
source management activities described in subsection
(d).
(4) A description of the economic benefits to
local communities achieved by the implementation of
the pilot project.