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In the Senate of the United States,
October 6 (legislative day, September 22), 2000.
Resolved, That the bill from the House of Representa-
tives (H.R. 2389) entitled ‘‘An Act to restore stability and
predictability to the annual payments made to States and
counties containing National Forest System lands and public
domain lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management
for use by the counties for the benefit of public schools,
roads, and other purposes.’’, do pass with the following
AMENDMENT:
Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Se-
cure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act
of 2000’’.
(b) Table of Contents.—The table of contents of this
Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings and purposes.
Sec. 3. Definitions.
Sec. 4. Conforming amendment.
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TITLE I—SECURE PAYMENTS FOR STATES AND COUNTIES
CONTAINING FEDERAL LANDS
Sec. 101. Determination of full payment amount for eligible States and counties.
Sec. 102. Payments to States from National Forest Service lands for use by coun-
ties to benefit public education and transportation.
Sec. 103. Payments to counties from Bureau of Land Management lands for use
to benefit public safety, law enforcement, education, and other
public purposes.
TITLE II—SPECIAL PROJECTS ON FEDERAL LANDS
Sec. 201. Definitions.
Sec. 202. General limitation on use of project funds.
Sec. 203. Submission of project proposals.
Sec. 204. Evaluation and approval of projects by Secretary concerned.
Sec. 205. Resource advisory committees.
Sec. 206. Use of project funds.
Sec. 207. Availability of project funds.
Sec. 208. Termination of authority.
TITLE III—COUNTY PROJECTS
Sec. 301. Definitions.
Sec. 302. Use of county funds.
Sec. 303. Termination of authority.
TITLE IV—MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
Sec. 401. Authorization of appropriations.
Sec. 402. Treatment of funds and revenues.
Sec. 403. Regulations.
Sec. 404. Conforming amendments.
TITLE V—MINERAL REVENUE PAYMENTS CLARIFICATION
Sec. 501. Short title.
Sec. 502. Findings.
Sec. 503. Amendment of the Mineral Leasing Act.
TITLE VI—COMMUNITY FOREST RESTORATION
Sec. 601. Short title.
Sec. 602. Findings.
Sec. 603. Purposes.
Sec. 604. Definitions.
Sec. 605. Establishment of program.
Sec. 606. Selection process.
Sec. 607. Monitoring and evaluation.
Sec. 608. Report.
Sec. 609. Authorization of appropriations.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following:
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(1) The National Forest System, which is man-
aged by the United States Forest Service, was estab-
lished in 1907 and has grown to include approxi-
mately 192,000,000 acres of Federal lands.
(2) The public domain lands known as revested
Oregon and California Railroad grant lands and the
reconveyed Coos Bay Wagon Road grant lands, which
are managed predominantly by the Bureau of Land
Management were returned to Federal ownership in
1916 and 1919 and now comprise approximately
2,600,000 acres of Federal lands.
(3) Congress recognized that, by its decision to
secure these lands in Federal ownership, the counties
in which these lands are situated would be deprived
of revenues they would otherwise receive if the lands
were held in private ownership.
(4) These same counties have expended public
funds year after year to provide services, such as edu-
cation, road construction and maintenance, search
and rescue, law enforcement, waste removal, and fire
protection, that directly benefit these Federal lands
and people who use these lands.
(5) To accord a measure of compensation to the
affected counties for the critical services they provide
to both county residents and visitors to these Federal
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lands, Congress determined that the Federal Govern-
ment should share with these counties a portion of the
revenues the United States receives from these Federal
lands.
(6) Congress enacted in 1908 and subsequently
amended a law that requires that 25 percent of the
revenues derived from National Forest System lands
be paid to States for use by the counties in which the
lands are situated for the benefit of public schools and
roads.
(7) Congress enacted in 1937 and subsequently
amended a law that requires that 75 percent of the
revenues derived from the revested and reconveyed
grant lands be paid to the counties in which those
lands are situated to be used as are other county
funds, of which 50 percent is to be used as other coun-
ty funds.
(8) For several decades primarily due to the
growth of the Federal timber sale program, counties
dependent on and supportive of these Federal lands
received and relied on increasing shares of these reve-
nues to provide funding for schools and road mainte-
nance.
(9) In recent years, the principal source of these
revenues, Federal timber sales, has been sharply cur-
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tailed and, as the volume of timber sold annually
from most of the Federal lands has decreased precipi-
tously, so too have the revenues shared with the af-
fected counties.
(10) This decline in shared revenues has affected
educational funding and road maintenance for many
counties.
(11) In the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act
of 1993, Congress recognized this trend and amelio-
rated its adverse consequences by providing an alter-
native annual safety net payment to 72 counties in
Oregon, Washington, and northern California in
which Federal timber sales had been restricted or pro-
hibited by administrative and judicial decisions to
protect the northern spotted owl.
(12) The authority for these particular safety net
payments is expiring and no comparable authority
has been granted for alternative payments to counties
elsewhere in the United States that have suffered
similar losses in shared revenues from the Federal
lands and in the funding for schools and roads those
revenues provide.
(13) There is a need to stabilize education and
road maintenance funding through predictable pay-
ments to the affected counties, job creation in those
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counties, and other opportunities associated with res-
toration, maintenance, and stewardship of Federal
lands.
(14) Both the Forest Service and the Bureau of
Land Management face significant backlogs in infra-
structure maintenance and ecosystem restoration that
are difficult to address through annual appropria-
tions.
(15) There is a need to build new, and strength-
en existing, relationships and to improve manage-
ment of public lands and waters.
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are as fol-
lows:
(1) To stabilize payments to counties to provide
funding for schools and roads that supplements other
available funds.
(2) To make additional investments in, and cre-
ate additional employment opportunities through,
projects that improve the maintenance of existing in-
frastructure, implement stewardship objectives that
enhance forest ecosystems, and restore and improve
land health and water quality. Such projects shall
enjoy broad-based support with objectives that may
include, but are not limited to—
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(B) such portions of the revested Oregon
and California Railroad and reconveyed Coos
Bay Wagon Road grant lands as are or may
hereafter come under the jurisdiction of the De-
partment of the Interior, which have heretofore
or may hereafter be classified as timberlands,
and power-site lands valuable for timber, that
shall be managed, except as provided in the
former section 3 of the Act of August 28, 1937
(50 Stat. 875; 43 U.S.C. 1181c), for permanent
forest production.
(2) ELIGIBILITY PERIOD.—The term ‘‘eligibility
period’’ means fiscal year 1986 through fiscal year
1999.
(3) ELIGIBLE COUNTY.—The term ‘‘eligible coun-
ty’’ means a county that received 50-percent pay-
ments for one or more fiscal years of the eligibility
period or a county that received a portion of an eligi-
ble State’s 25-percent payments for one or more fiscal
years of the eligibility period. The term includes a
county established after the date of the enactment of
this Act so long as the county includes all or a por-
tion of a county described in the preceding sentence.
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(4) ELIGIBLE STATE.—The term ‘‘eligible State’’
means a State that received 25-percent payments for
one or more fiscal years of the eligibility period.
(5) FULL
PAYMENT
AMOUNT.—The term ‘‘full
payment amount’’ means the amount calculated for
each eligible State and eligible county under section
101.
(6) 25-PERCENT PAYMENT.—The term ‘‘25-per-
cent payment’’ means the payment to States required
by the sixth paragraph under the heading of ‘‘FOR-
EST SERVICE’’ in the Act of May 23, 1908 (35
Stat. 260; 16 U.S.C. 500), and section 13 of the Act
of March 1, 1911 (36 Stat. 963; 16 U.S.C. 500).
(7) 50-PERCENT PAYMENT.—The term ‘‘50-per-
cent payment’’ means the payment that is the sum of
the 50-percent share otherwise paid to a county pur-
suant to title II of the Act of August 28, 1937 (chap-
ter 876; 50 Stat. 875; 43 U.S.C. 1181f), and the pay-
ment made to a county pursuant to the Act of May
24, 1939 (chapter 144; 53 Stat. 753; 43 U.S.C. 1181f–
1 et seq.).
(8) SAFETY NET PAYMENTS.—The term ‘‘safety
net payments’’ means the special payment amounts
paid to States and counties required by section 13982
or 13983 of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act
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of 1993 (Public Law 103–66; 16 U.S.C. 500 note; 43
U.S.C. 1181f note).
SEC. 4. CONFORMING AMENDMENT.
Section 6903(a)(1)(C) of title 31, United States Code,
is amended by inserting after ‘‘(16 U.S.C. 500)’’ the fol-
lowing: ‘‘or the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-
Determination Act of 2000’’.
TITLE 
I—SECURE 
PAYMENTS
FOR STATES AND COUNTIES
CONTAINING FEDERAL LANDS
SEC. 101. DETERMINATION OF FULL PAYMENT AMOUNT
FOR ELIGIBLE STATES AND COUNTIES.
(a) CALCULATION REQUIRED.—
(1) ELIGIBLE STATES.—For fiscal years 2001
through 2006, the Secretary of the Treasury shall cal-
culate for each eligible State that received a 25-per-
cent payment during the eligibility period an amount
equal to the average of the three highest 25-percent
payments and safety net payments made to that eligi-
ble State for the fiscal years of the eligibility period.
(2) BUREAU
OF
LAND
MANAGEMENT
COUN-
TIES.—For fiscal years 2001 through 2006, the Sec-
retary of the Treasury shall calculate for each eligible
county that received a 50-percent payment during the
eligibility period an amount equal to the average of
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the three highest 50-percent payments and safety net
payments made to that eligible county for the fiscal
years of the eligibility period.
(b) ANNUAL ADJUSTMENT.—For each fiscal year in
which payments are required to be made to eligible States
and eligible counties under this title, the Secretary of the
Treasury shall adjust the full payment amount for the pre-
vious fiscal year for each eligible State and eligible county
to reflect 50 percent of the changes in the consumer price
index for rural areas (as published in the Bureau of Labor
Statistics) that occur after publication of that index for fis-
cal year 2000.
SEC. 102. PAYMENTS TO STATES FROM NATIONAL FOREST
SYSTEM LANDS FOR USE BY COUNTIES TO
BENEFIT PUBLIC EDUCATION AND TRANS-
PORTATION.
(a) PAYMENT AMOUNTS.—The Secretary of the Treas-
ury shall pay an eligible State the sum of the amounts elect-
ed under subsection (b) by each eligible county for either—
(1) the 25-percent payment under the Act of May
23, 1908 (16 U.S.C. 500), and section 13 of the Act
of March 1, 1911 (16 U.S.C. 500); or
(2) the full payment amount in place of the 25-
percent payment.
(b) ELECTION TO RECEIVE PAYMENT AMOUNT.—
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(1) ELECTION; SUBMISSION OF RESULTS.—The
election to receive either the full payment amount or
the 25-percent payment shall be made at the discre-
tion of each affected county and transmitted to the
Secretary by the Governor of a State.
(2) DURATION OF ELECTION.—A county election
to receive the 25-percent payment shall be effective for
two fiscal years. When a county elects to receive the
full payment amount, such election shall be effective
for all the subsequent fiscal years through fiscal year
2006.
(3) SOURCE OF PAYMENT AMOUNTS.—The pay-
ment to an eligible State under this section for a fis-
cal year shall be derived from any revenues, fees, pen-
alties, or miscellaneous receipts, exclusive of deposits
to any relevant trust fund, or special accounts, re-
ceived by the Federal Government from activities by
the Forest Service on the Federal lands described in
section 3(1)(A) and to the extent of any shortfall, out
of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appro-
priated.
(c) DISTRIBUTION
AND
EXPENDITURE
OF
PAY-
MENTS.—
(1) DISTRIBUTION METHOD.—A State that re-
ceives a payment under subsection (a) shall distribute
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the payment among all eligible counties in the State
in accordance with the Act of May 23, 1908 (16
U.S.C. 500), and section 13 of the Act of March 1,
1911 (36 Stat. 963; 16 U.S.C. 500).
(2) EXPENDITURE PURPOSES.—Subject to sub-
section (d), payments received by a State under sub-
section (a) and distributed to eligible counties shall be
expended as required by the laws referred to in para-
graph (1).
(d) EXPENDITURE RULES FOR ELIGIBLE COUNTIES.—
(1) ALLOCATIONS.—
(A) USE OF PORTION IN SAME MANNER AS
25-PERCENT
PAYMENTS.—If an eligible county
elects to receive its share of the full payment
amount, not less than 80 percent, but not more
than 85 percent, of the funds shall be expended
in the same manner in which the 25-percent
payments are required to be expended.
(B) ELECTION AS TO USE OF BALANCE.—
An eligible county shall elect to do one or more
of the following with the balance of the funds not
expended pursuant to subparagraph (A):
(i) Reserve the balance for projects in
accordance with title II.
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(ii) Reserve the balance for projects in
accordance with title III.
(iii) Return the balance to the General
Treasury in accordance with section 402(b).
(2) DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS.—
(A) TREATMENT
OF
TITLE
II
FUNDS.—
Funds reserved by an eligible county under
paragraph (1)(B)(i) shall be deposited in a spe-
cial account in the Treasury of the United States
and shall be available for expenditure by the Sec-
retary of Agriculture, without further appropria-
tion, and shall remain available until expended
in accordance with title II.
(B) TREATMENT
OF
TITLE
III
FUNDS.—
Funds reserved by an eligible county under
paragraph (1)(B)(ii) shall be available for ex-
penditure by the county and shall remain avail-
able, until expended, in accordance with title III.
(3) ELECTION.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible county shall
notify the Secretary of Agriculture of its election
under this subsection not later than September
30 of each fiscal year. If the eligible county fails
to make an election by that date, the county is
deemed to have elected to expend 85 percent of
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the funds to be received under this section in the
same manner in which the 25-percent payments
are required to be expended, and shall remit the
balance to the Treasury of the United States in
accordance with section 402(b).
(B) COUNTIES
WITH
MINOR
DISTRIBU-
TIONS.—Notwithstanding any adjustment made
pursuant to section 101(b) in the case of each eli-
gible county to which less than $100,000 is dis-
tributed for any fiscal year pursuant to sub-
section (c)(1), the eligible county may elect to ex-
pend all such funds in accordance with sub-
section (c)(2).
(e) TIME FOR PAYMENT.—The payment to an eligible
State under this section for a fiscal year shall be made as
soon as practicable after the end of that fiscal year.
SEC. 103. PAYMENTS TO COUNTIES FROM BUREAU OF LAND
MANAGEMENT LANDS FOR USE TO BENEFIT
PUBLIC SAFETY, LAW ENFORCEMENT, EDU-
CATION, AND OTHER PUBLIC PURPOSES.
(a) PAYMENT.—The Secretary of the Treasury shall
pay an eligible county either—
(1) the 50-percent payment under the Act of Au-
gust 28, 1937 (43 U.S.C. 1181f), or the Act of May
24, 1939 (43 U.S.C. 1181f–1) as appropriate; or
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(2) the full payment amount in place of the 50-
percent payment.
(b) 
ELECTION
TO
RECEIVE
FULL
PAYMENT
AMOUNT.—
(1) ELECTION; DURATION.—The election to re-
ceive the full payment amount shall be made at the
discretion of the county. Once the election is made, it
shall be effective for the fiscal year in which the elec-
tion is made and all subsequent fiscal years through
fiscal year 2006.
(2) SOURCE OF PAYMENT AMOUNTS.—The pay-
ment to an eligible county under this section for a fis-
cal year shall be derived from any revenues, fees, pen-
alties, or miscellaneous receipts, exclusive of deposits
to any relevant trust fund, or permanent operating
funds, received by the Federal Government from ac-
tivities by the Bureau of Land Management on the
Federal lands described in section 3(1)(B) and to the
extent of any shortfall, out of any funds in the Treas-
ury not otherwise appropriated.
(c) EXPENDITURE RULES FOR ELIGIBLE COUNTIES.—
(1) ALLOCATIONS.—
(A) USE OF PORTION IN SAME MANNER AS
50-PERCENT PAYMENTS.—Of the funds to be paid
to an eligible county pursuant to subsection
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(a)(2), not less than 80 percent, but not more
than 85 percent, of the funds distributed to the
eligible county shall be expended in the same
manner in which the 50-percent payments are
required to be expended.
(B) ELECTION AS TO USE OF BALANCE.—
An eligible county shall elect to do one or more
of the following with the balance of the funds not
expended pursuant to subparagraph (A):
(i) Reserve the balance for projects in
accordance with title II.
(ii) Reserve the balance for projects in
accordance with title III.
(iii) Return the balance to the General
Treasury in accordance with section 402(b).
(2) DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS.—
(A) TREATMENT
OF
TITLE
II
FUNDS.—
Funds reserved by an eligible county under
paragraph (1)(B)(i) shall be deposited in a spe-
cial account in the Treasury of the United States
and shall be available for expenditure by the Sec-
retary of the Interior, without further appropria-
tion, and shall remain available until expended
in accordance with title II.
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(B) TREATMENT
OF
TITLE
III
FUNDS.—
Funds reserved by an eligible county under
paragraph (1)(B)(ii) shall be available for ex-
penditure by the county and shall remain avail-
able, until expended, in accordance with title III.
(3) ELECTION.—An eligible county shall notify
the Secretary of the Interior of its election under this
subsection not later than September 30 of each fiscal
year. If the eligible county fails to make an election
by that date, the county is deemed to have elected to
expend 85 percent of the funds received under sub-
section (a)(2) in the same manner in which the 50-
percent payments are required to be expended and
shall remit the balance to the Treasury of the United
States in accordance with section 402(b).
(d) TIME FOR PAYMENT.—The payment to an eligible
county under this section for a fiscal year shall be made
as soon as practicable after the end of that fiscal year.
TITLE II—SPECIAL PROJECTS ON
FEDERAL LANDS
SEC. 201. DEFINITIONS.
In this title:
(1) PARTICIPATING COUNTY.—The term ‘‘partici-
pating county’’ means an eligible county that elects
under section 102(d)(1)(B)(i) or 103(c)(1)(B)(i) to ex-
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(A) the Secretary of Agriculture or the des-
ignee of the Secretary of Agriculture with respect
to the Federal lands described in section 3(1)(A);
and
(B) the Secretary of the Interior or the des-
ignee of the Secretary of the Interior with respect
to the Federal lands described in section 3(1)(B).
SEC. 202. GENERAL LIMITATION ON USE OF PROJECT
FUNDS.
Project funds shall be expended solely on projects that
meet the requirements of this title. Project funds may be
used by the Secretary concerned for the purpose of entering
into and implementing cooperative agreements with willing
Federal agencies, State and local governments, private and
nonprofit entities, and landowners for protection, restora-
tion and enhancement of fish and wildlife habitat, and
other resource objectives consistent with the purposes of this
title on Federal land and on non-Federal land where
projects would benefit these resources on Federal land.
SEC. 203. SUBMISSION OF PROJECT PROPOSALS.
(a) SUBMISSION OF PROJECT PROPOSALS TO SEC-
RETARY CONCERNED.—
(1) 
PROJECTS
FUNDED
USING
PROJECT
FUNDS.—Not later than September 30 for fiscal year
2001, and each September 30 thereafter for each suc-
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ceeding fiscal year through fiscal year 2006, each re-
source advisory committee shall submit to the Sec-
retary concerned a description of any projects that the
resource advisory committee proposes the Secretary
undertake using any project funds reserved by eligible
counties in the area in which the resource advisory
committee has geographic jurisdiction.
(2) PROJECTS FUNDED USING OTHER FUNDS.—
A resource advisory committee may submit to the Sec-
retary concerned a description of any projects that the
committee proposes the Secretary undertake using
funds from State or local governments, or from the
private sector, other than project funds and funds ap-
propriated and otherwise available to do similar
work.
(3) JOINT PROJECTS.—Participating counties or
other persons may propose to pool project funds or
other funds, described in paragraph (2), and jointly
propose a project or group of projects to a resource
advisory committee established under section 205.
(b) REQUIRED DESCRIPTION OF PROJECTS.—In sub-
mitting proposed projects to the Secretary concerned under
subsection (a), a resource advisory committee shall include
in the description of each proposed project the following in-
formation:
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(1) The purpose of the project and a description
of how the project will meet the purposes of this Act.
(2) The anticipated duration of the project.
(3) The anticipated cost of the project.
(4) The proposed source of funding for the
project, whether project funds or other funds.
(5) Expected outcomes, including how the project
will meet or exceed desired ecological conditions,
maintenance objectives, or stewardship objectives, as
well as an estimation of the amount of any timber,
forage, and other commodities and other economic ac-
tivity, including jobs generated, if any, anticipated as
part of the project.
(6) A detailed monitoring plan, including fund-
ing needs and sources, that tracks and identifies the
positive or negative impacts of the project, implemen-
tation, and provides for validation monitoring. The
monitoring plan shall include an assessment of the
following: Whether or not the project met or exceeded
desired ecological conditions; created local employ-
ment or training opportunities, including summer
youth jobs programs such as the Youth Conservation
Corps where appropriate; and whether the project im-
proved the use of, or added value to, any products re-
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moved from lands consistent with the purposes of this
Act.
(7) An assessment that the project is to be in the
public interest.
(c) AUTHORIZED PROJECTS.—Projects proposed under
subsection (a) shall be consistent with section 2(b).
SEC. 204. EVALUATION AND APPROVAL OF PROJECTS BY
SECRETARY CONCERNED.
(a) CONDITIONS
FOR
APPROVAL
OF
PROPOSED
PROJECT.—The Secretary concerned may make a decision
to approve a project submitted by a resource advisory com-
mittee under section 203 only if the proposed project satis-
fies each of the following conditions:
(1) The project complies with all applicable Fed-
eral laws and regulations.
(2) The project is consistent with the applicable
resource management plan and with any watershed
or subsequent plan developed pursuant to the resource
management plan and approved by the Secretary
concerned.
(3) The project has been approved by the resource
advisory committee in accordance with section 205,
including the procedures issued under subsection (e)
of such section.
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(4) A project description has been submitted by
the resource advisory committee to the Secretary con-
cerned in accordance with section 203.
(5) The project will improve the maintenance of
existing infrastructure, implement stewardship objec-
tives that enhance forest ecosystems, and restore and
improve land health and water quality.
(b) ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEWS.—
(1) PAYMENT OF REVIEW COSTS.—
(A) REQUEST FOR PAYMENT BY COUNTY.—
The Secretary concerned may request the re-
source advisory committee submitting a proposed
project to agree to the use of project funds to pay
for any environmental review, consultation, or
compliance with applicable environmental laws
required in connection with the project. When
such a payment is requested and the resource ad-
visory committee agrees to the expenditure of
funds for this purpose, the Secretary concerned
shall conduct environmental review, consultation,
or other compliance responsibilities in accord-
ance with Federal law and regulations.
(B) EFFECT OF REFUSAL TO PAY.—If a re-
source advisory committee does not agree to the
expenditure of funds under subparagraph (A),
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the project shall be deemed withdrawn from fur-
ther consideration by the Secretary concerned
pursuant to this title. Such a withdrawal shall
be deemed to be a rejection of the project for pur-
poses of section 207(c).
(c) DECISIONS OF SECRETARY CONCERNED.—
(1) REJECTION OF PROJECTS.—A decision by the
Secretary concerned to reject a proposed project shall
be at the Secretary’s sole discretion. Notwithstanding
any other provision of law, a decision by the Sec-
retary concerned to reject a proposed project shall not
be subject to administrative appeal or judicial review.
Within 30 days after making the rejection decision,
the Secretary concerned shall notify in writing the re-
source advisory committee that submitted the pro-
posed project of the rejection and the reasons for rejec-
tion.
(2) NOTICE OF PROJECT APPROVAL.—The Sec-
retary concerned shall publish in the Federal Register
notice of each project approved under subsection (a)
if such notice would be required had the project origi-
nated with the Secretary.
(d) SOURCE AND CONDUCT OF PROJECT.—Once the
Secretary concerned accepts a project for review under sec-
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tion 203, it shall be deemed a Federal action for all pur-
poses.
(e) IMPLEMENTATION OF APPROVED PROJECTS.—
(1) COOPERATION.—Notwithstanding chapter 63
of title 31, United States Code, using project funds
the Secretary concerned may enter into contracts,
grants, and cooperative agreements with States and
local governments, private and nonprofit entities, and
landowners and other persons to assist the Secretary
in carrying out an approved project.
(2) BEST VALUE CONTRACTING.—For any project
involving a contract authorized by paragraph (1) the
Secretary concerned may elect a source for perform-
ance of the contract on a best value basis. The Sec-
retary concerned shall determine best value based on
such factors as:
(A) The technical demands and complexity
of the work to be done.
(B) The ecological objectives of the project
and the sensitivity of the resources being treated.
(C) The past experience by the contractor
with the type of work being done, using the type
of equipment proposed for the project, and meet-
ing or exceeding desired ecological conditions.
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(D) The commitment of the contractor to
hiring highly qualified workers and local resi-
dents.
(3) MERCHANTABLE
MATERIAL
CONTRACTING
PILOT PROGRAM.—
(A) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary con-
cerned shall establish a pilot program to imple-
ment a certain percentage of approved projects
involving the sale of merchantable material
using separate contracts for—
(i) the harvesting or collection of mer-
chantable material; and
(ii) the sale of such material.
(B) ANNUAL
PERCENTAGES.—Under the
pilot program, the Secretary concerned shall en-
sure that, on a nationwide basis, not less than
the following percentage of all approved projects
involving the sale of merchantable material are
implemented using separate contracts:
(i) For fiscal year 2001, 15 percent.
(ii) For fiscal year 2002, 25 percent.
(iii) For fiscal year 2003, 25 percent.
(iv) For fiscal year 2004, 50 percent.
(v) For fiscal year 2005, 50 percent.
(vi) For fiscal year 2006, 50 percent.
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(C) INCLUSION
IN
PILOT
PROGRAM.—The
decision whether to use separate contracts to im-
plement a project involving the sale of merchant-
able material shall be made by the Secretary
concerned after the approval of the project under
this title.
(D) ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary concerned
may use funds from any appropriated account
available to the Secretary for the Federal lands
to assist in the administration of projects con-
ducted under the pilot program. The total
amount obligated under this subparagraph may
not exceed $1,000,000 for any fiscal year during
which the pilot program is in effect.
(E) REVIEW AND REPORT.—Not later than
September 30, 2003, the Comptroller General
shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture,
Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate, the Com-
mittee on Energy and Natural Resources of the
Senate, the Committee on Agriculture of the
House of Representatives, and the Committee on
Resources of the House of Representatives a re-
port assessing the pilot program. The Secretary
concerned shall submit to such committees an
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annual report describing the results of the pilot
program.
(f) REQUIREMENTS FOR PROJECT FUNDS.—The Sec-
retary shall ensure that at least 50 percent of all project
funds be used for projects that are primarily dedicated—
(1) to road maintenance, decommissioning, or
obliteration; or
(2) to restoration of streams and watersheds.
SEC. 205. RESOURCE ADVISORY COMMITTEES.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT AND PURPOSE OF RESOURCE AD-
VISORY COMMITTEES.—
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary concerned
shall establish and maintain resource advisory com-
mittees to perform the duties in subsection (b), except
as provided in paragraph (4).
(2) PURPOSE.—The purpose of a resource advi-
sory committee shall be to improve collaborative rela-
tionships and to provide advice and recommendations
to the land management agencies consistent with the
purposes of this Act.
(3) ACCESS
TO
RESOURCE
ADVISORY
COMMIT-
TEES.—To ensure that each unit of Federal land has
access to a resource advisory committee, and that
there is sufficient interest in participation on a com-
mittee to ensure that membership can be balanced in
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terms of the points of view represented and the func-
tions to be performed, the Secretary concerned may,
establish resource advisory committees for part of, or
one or more, units of Federal lands.
(4) EXISTING ADVISORY COMMITTEES.—Existing
advisory committees meeting the requirements of this
section may be deemed by the Secretary concerned, as
a resource advisory committee for the purposes of this
title. The Secretary of the Interior may deem a re-
source advisory committee meeting the requirements
of subpart 1784 of part 1780 of title 43, Code of Fed-
eral Regulations, as a resource advisory committee for
the purposes of this title.
(b) DUTIES.—A resource advisory committee shall—
(1) review projects proposed under this title by
participating counties and other persons;
(2) propose projects and funding to the Secretary
concerned under section 203;
(3) provide early and continuous coordination
with appropriate land management agency officials
in recommending projects consistent with purposes of
this Act under this title; and
(4) provide frequent opportunities for citizens,
organizations, tribes, land management agencies, and
other interested parties to participate openly and
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meaningfully, beginning at the early stages of the
project development process under this title.
(c) APPOINTMENT BY THE SECRETARY.—
(1) APPOINTMENT
AND
TERM.—The Secretary
concerned, shall appoint the members of resource ad-
visory committees for a term of 3 years beginning on
the date of appointment. The Secretary concerned
may reappoint members to subsequent 3-year terms.
(2) BASIC REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary con-
cerned shall ensure that each resource advisory com-
mittee established meets the requirements of subsection
(d).
(3) INITIAL APPOINTMENT.—The Secretary con-
cerned shall make initial appointments to the re-
source advisory committees not later than 180 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(4) VACANCIES.—The Secretary concerned shall
make appointments to fill vacancies on any resource
advisory committee as soon as practicable after the
vacancy has occurred.
(5) COMPENSATION.—Members of the resource
advisory committees shall not receive any compensa-
tion.
(d) COMPOSITION OF ADVISORY COMMITTEE.—
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(1) NUMBER.—Each resource advisory committee
shall be comprised of 15 members.
(2) COMMUNITY
INTERESTS
REPRESENTED.—
Committee members shall be representative of the in-
terests of the following three categories:
(A) 5 persons who—
(i) represent organized labor;
(ii) represent developed outdoor recre-
ation, off highway vehicle users, or commer-
cial recreation activities;
(iii) represent energy and mineral de-
velopment interests;
(iv) represent the commercial timber
industry; or
(v) hold Federal grazing permits, or
other land use permits within the area for
which the committee is organized.
(B) 5 persons representing—
(i) 
nationally 
recognized 
environ-
mental organizations;
(ii) regionally or locally recognized en-
vironmental organizations;
(iii) dispersed recreational activities;
(iv) archaeological and historical inter-
ests; or
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(v) nationally or regionally recognized
wild horse and burro interest groups.
(C) 5 persons who—
(i) hold State elected office or their des-
ignee;
(ii) hold county or local elected office;
(iii) represent American Indian tribes
within or adjacent to the area for which the
committee is organized;
(iv) are school officials or teachers; or
(v) represent the affected public at
large.
(3) BALANCED REPRESENTATION.—In appoint-
ing committee members from the three categories in
paragraph (2), the Secretary concerned shall provide
for balanced and broad representation from within
each category.
(4) GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION.—The members
of a resource advisory committee shall reside within
the State in which the committee has jurisdiction
and, to extent practicable, the Secretary concerned
shall ensure local representation in each category in
paragraph (2).
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(5) CHAIRPERSON.—A majority on each resource
advisory committee shall select the chairperson of the
committee.
(e) APPROVAL PROCEDURES.—(1) Subject to para-
graph (2), each resource advisory committee shall establish
procedures for proposing projects to the Secretary concerned
under this title. A quorum must be present to constitute
an official meeting of the committee.
(2) A project may be proposed by a resource advisory
committee to the Secretary concerned under section 203(a),
if it has been approved by a majority of members of the
committee from each of the three categories in subsection
(d)(2).
(f) OTHER COMMITTEE AUTHORITIES AND REQUIRE-
MENTS.—
(1) STAFF
ASSISTANCE.—A resource advisory
committee may submit to the Secretary concerned a
request for periodic staff assistance from Federal em-
ployees under the jurisdiction of the Secretary.
(2) MEETINGS.—All meetings of a resource advi-
sory committee shall be announced at least one week
in advance in a local newspaper of record and shall
be open to the public.
(3) RECORDS.—A resource advisory committee
shall maintain records of the meetings of the com-
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mittee and make the records available for public in-
spection.
SEC. 206. USE OF PROJECT FUNDS.
(a) AGREEMENT REGARDING SCHEDULE AND COST OF
PROJECT.—
(1) AGREEMENT BETWEEN PARTIES.—The Sec-
retary concerned may carry out a project submitted
by a resource advisory committee under section
203(a) using project funds or other funds described in
section 203(a)(2), if, as soon as practicable after the
issuance of a decision document for the project and
the exhaustion of all administrative appeals and judi-
cial review of the project decision, the Secretary con-
cerned and the resource advisory committee enter into
an agreement addressing, at a minimum, the fol-
lowing:
(A) The schedule for completing the project.
(B) The total cost of the project, including
the level of agency overhead to be assessed
against the project.
(C) For a multiyear project, the estimated
cost of the project for each of the fiscal years in
which it will be carried out.
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(D) The remedies for failure of the Sec-
retary concerned to comply with the terms of the
agreement consistent with current Federal law.
(2) LIMITED USE OF FEDERAL FUNDS.—The Sec-
retary concerned may decide, at the Secretary’s sole
discretion, to cover the costs of a portion of an ap-
proved project using Federal funds appropriated or
otherwise available to the Secretary for the same pur-
poses as the project.
(b) TRANSFER OF PROJECT FUNDS.—
(1) INITIAL TRANSFER REQUIRED.—As soon as
practicable after the agreement is reached under sub-
section (a) with regard to a project to be funded in
whole or in part using project funds, or other funds
described in section 203(a)(2), the Secretary con-
cerned shall transfer to the applicable unit of Na-
tional Forest System lands or BLM District an
amount of project funds equal to—
(A) in the case of a project to be completed
in a single fiscal year, the total amount specified
in the agreement to be paid using project funds,
or other funds described in section 203(a)(2); or
(B) in the case of a multiyear project, the
amount specified in the agreement to be paid
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using project funds, or other funds described in
section 203(a)(2) for the first fiscal year.
(2) CONDITION ON PROJECT COMMENCEMENT.—
The unit of National Forest System lands or BLM
District concerned, shall not commence a project until
the project funds, or other funds described in section
203(a)(2) required to be transferred under paragraph
(1) for the project, have been made available by the
Secretary concerned.
(3) SUBSEQUENT
TRANSFERS
FOR
MULTIYEAR
PROJECTS.—For the second and subsequent fiscal
years of a multiyear project to be funded in whole or
in part using project funds, the unit of National For-
est System lands or BLM District concerned shall use
the amount of project funds required to continue the
project in that fiscal year according to the agreement
entered into under subsection (a). The Secretary con-
cerned shall suspend work on the project if the project
funds required by the agreement in the second and
subsequent fiscal years are not available.
SEC. 207. AVAILABILITY OF PROJECT FUNDS.
(a) SUBMISSION OF PROPOSED PROJECTS TO OBLI-
GATE FUNDS.—By September 30 of each fiscal year through
fiscal year 2006, a resource advisory committee shall submit
to the Secretary concerned pursuant to section 203(a)(1) a
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sufficient number of project proposals that, if approved,
would result in the obligation of at least the full amount
of the project funds reserved by the participating county
in the preceding fiscal year.
(b) USE OR TRANSFER OF UNOBLIGATED FUNDS.—
Subject to section 208, if a resource advisory committee fails
to comply with subsection (a) for a fiscal year, any project
funds reserved by the participating county in the preceding
fiscal year and remaining unobligated shall be available for
use as part of the project submissions in the next fiscal year.
(c) EFFECT OF REJECTION OF PROJECTS.—Subject to
section 208, any project funds reserved by a participating
county in the preceding fiscal year that are unobligated at
the end of a fiscal year because the Secretary concerned has
rejected one or more proposed projects shall be available for
use as part of the project submissions in the next fiscal year.
(d) EFFECT
OF COURT ORDERS.—If an approved
project under this Act is enjoined or prohibited by a Federal
court, the Secretary concerned shall return the unobligated
project funds related to that project to the participating
county or counties that reserved the funds. The returned
funds shall be available for the county to expend in the same
manner as the funds reserved by the county under section
102(d)(1)(B)(i) or 103(c)(1)(B)(i), whichever applies to the
funds involved.
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SEC. 208. TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY.
The authority to initiate projects under this title shall
terminate on September 30, 2006. Any project funds not
obligated by September 30, 2007, shall be deposited in the
Treasury of the United States.
TITLE III—COUNTY PROJECTS
SEC. 301. DEFINITIONS.
In this title:
(1) PARTICIPATING COUNTY.—The term ‘‘partici-
pating county’’ means an eligible county that elects
under section 102(d)(1)(B)(ii) or 103(c)(1)(B)(ii) to
expend a portion of the Federal funds received under
section 102 or 103 in accordance with this title.
(2) COUNTY FUNDS.—The term ‘‘county funds’’
means all funds an eligible county elects under sec-
tions 102(d)(1)(B)(ii) and 103(c)(1)(B)(ii) to reserve
for expenditure in accordance with this title.
SEC. 302. USE OF COUNTY FUNDS.
(a) LIMITATION
ON COUNTY FUND USE.—County
funds shall be expended solely on projects that meet the re-
quirements of this title. A project under this title shall be
approved by the participating county only following a 45-
day public comment period, at the beginning of which the
county shall—
(1) publish a description of the proposed project
in the publications of local record; and
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(2) send the proposed project to the appropriate
resource advisory committee established under section
205, if one exists for the county.
(b) AUTHORIZED USES.—
(1) SEARCH, RESCUE, AND EMERGENCY SERV-
ICES.—An eligible county or applicable sheriff’s de-
partment may use these funds as reimbursement for
search and rescue and other emergency services, in-
cluding fire fighting, performed on Federal lands and
paid for by the county.
(2) COMMUNITY SERVICE WORK CAMPS.—An eli-
gible county may use these funds as reimbursement
for all or part of the costs incurred by the county to
pay the salaries and benefits of county employees who
supervise adults or juveniles performing mandatory
community service on Federal lands.
(3) EASEMENT PURCHASES.—An eligible county
may use these funds to acquire—
(A) easements, on a willing seller basis, to
provide for nonmotorized access to public lands
for hunting, fishing, and other recreational pur-
poses;
(B) conservation easements; or
(C) both.
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(4) FOREST RELATED EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNI-
TIES.—A county may use these funds to establish and
conduct forest-related after school programs.
(5) FIRE PREVENTION AND COUNTY PLANNING.—
A county may use these funds for—
(A) efforts to educate homeowners in fire-
sensitive ecosystems about the consequences of
wildfires and techniques in home siting, home
construction, and home landscaping that can in-
crease the protection of people and property from
wildfires; and
(B) planning efforts to reduce or mitigate
the impact of development on adjacent Federal
lands and to increase the protection of people
and property from wildfires.
(6) COMMUNITY FORESTRY.—A county may use
these funds towards non-Federal cost-share require-
ments of section 9 of the Cooperative Forestry Assist-
ance Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2105).
SEC. 303. TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY.
The authority to initiate projects under this title shall
terminate on September 30, 2006. Any county funds not
obligated by September 30, 2007 shall be available to be
expended by the county for the uses identified in section
302(b).
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TITLE IV—MISCELLANEOUS
PROVISIONS
SEC. 401. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are hereby authorized to be appropriated such
sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act for fiscal
years 2001 through 2006.
SEC. 402. TREATMENT OF FUNDS AND REVENUES.
(a) RELATION TO OTHER APPROPRIATIONS.—Funds
appropriated pursuant to the authorization of appropria-
tions in section 401 and funds made available to a Sec-
retary concerned under section 206 shall be in addition to
any other annual appropriations for the Forest Service and
the Bureau of Land Management.
(b) DEPOSIT OF REVENUES AND OTHER FUNDS.—All
revenues generated from projects pursuant to title II, any
funds 
remitted 
by 
counties 
pursuant 
to 
section
102(d)(1)(B)(iii) or section 103(c)(1)(B)(iii), and any in-
terest accrued from such funds shall be deposited in the
Treasury of the United States.
SEC. 403. REGULATIONS.
The Secretaries concerned may jointly issue regula-
tions to carry out the purposes of this Act.
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SEC. 404. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.
Sections 13982 and 13983 of the Omnibus Budget Rec-
onciliation Act of 1993 (Public Law 103–66; 16 U.S.C. 500
note; 43 U.S.C. 1181f note) are repealed.
TITLE V—MINERAL REVENUE
PAYMENTS CLARIFICATION
SEC. 501. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ‘‘Mineral Revenue Pay-
ments Clarification Act of 2000’’.
SEC. 502. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) Section 10201 of the Omnibus Budget Rec-
onciliation Act of 1993 (Public Law 103–66; 107
Stat. 407) amended section 35 of the Mineral Leasing
Act (30 U.S.C. 191) to change the sharing of onshore
mineral revenues and revenues from geothermal steam
from a 50:50 split between the Federal Government
and the States to a complicated formula that entailed
deducting from the State share of leasing revenues
‘‘50 percent of the portion of the enacted appropria-
tions of the Department of the Interior and any other
agency during the preceding fiscal year allocable to
the administration of all laws providing for the leas-
ing of any onshore lands or interest in land owned
by the United States for the production of the same
types of minerals leasable under this Act or of geo-
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thermal 
steam, 
and 
to 
enforcement 
of 
such
laws . . .’’.
(2) There is no legislative record to suggest a
sound public policy rationale for deducting prior-year
administrative expenses from the sharing of current-
year receipts, indicating that this change was made
primarily for budget scoring reasons.
(3) The system put in place by this change in
law has proved difficult to administer and has given
rise to disputes between the Federal Government and
the States as to the nature of allocable expenses. Fed-
eral accounting systems have proven to be poorly suit-
ed to breaking down administrative costs in the man-
ner required by the law. Different Federal agencies
implementing this law have used varying methodolo-
gies to identify allocable costs, resulting in an inequi-
table distribution of costs during fiscal years 1994
through 1996. In November 1997, the Inspector Gen-
eral of the Department of the Interior found that ‘‘the
congressionally approved method for cost sharing de-
ductions effective in fiscal year 1997 may not accu-
rately compute the deductions’’.
(4) Given the lack of a substantive rationale for
the 1993 change in law and the complexity and ad-
ministrative burden involved, a return to the sharing
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formula prior to the enactment of the Omnibus Budg-
et Reconciliation Act of 1993 is justified.
SEC. 503. AMENDMENT OF THE MINERAL LEASING ACT.
Section 35(b) of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 U.S.C.
191(b)) is amended to read as follows:
‘‘(b) In determining the amount of payments to the
States under this section, the amount of such payments
shall not be reduced by any administrative or other costs
incurred by the United States.’’.
TITLE VI—COMMUNITY FOREST
RESTORATION
SEC. 601. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ‘‘Community Forest Res-
toration Act’’.
SEC. 602. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) A century of fire suppression, logging, and
livestock grazing has altered the ecological balance of
New Mexico’s forests.
(2) Some forest lands in New Mexico contain an
unnaturally high number of small diameter trees that
are subject to large, high intensity wildfires that can
endanger human lives, livelihoods, and ecological sta-
bility.
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(3) Forest lands that contain an unnaturally
high number of small diameter trees have reduced bio-
diversity and provide fewer benefits to human com-
munities, wildlife, and watersheds.
(4) Healthy and productive watersheds minimize
the threat of large, high intensity wildfires, provide
abundant and diverse wildlife habitat, and produce a
variety of timber and non-timber products including
better quality water and increased water flows.
(5) Restoration efforts are more successful when
there is involvement from neighboring communities
and better stewardship will evolve from more diverse
involvement.
(6) Designing demonstration restoration projects
through a collaborative approach may—
(A) lead to the development of cost effective
restoration activities;
(B) empower diverse organizations to im-
plement activities which value local and tradi-
tional knowledge;
(C) build ownership and civic pride; and
(D) ensure healthy, diverse, and productive
forests and watersheds.
SEC. 603. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this title are—
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(1) to promote healthy watersheds and reduce the
threat of large, high intensity wildfires, insect infesta-
tion, and disease in the forests in New Mexico;
(2) to improve the functioning of forest eco-
systems and enhance plant and wildlife biodiversity
by reducing the unnaturally high number and density
of small diameter trees on Federal, Tribal, State,
County, and Municipal forest lands;
(3) to improve communication and joint problem
solving among individuals and groups who are inter-
ested in restoring the diversity and productivity of
forested watersheds in New Mexico;
(4) to improve the use of, or add value to, small
diameter trees;
(5) to encourage sustainable communities and
sustainable forests through collaborative partnerships,
whose objectives are forest restoration; and
(6) to develop, demonstrate, and evaluate eco-
logically sound forest restoration techniques.
SEC. 604. DEFINITIONS.
As used in this title—
(1) the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary of
Agriculture acting through the Chief of the Forest
Service; and
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(2) the term ‘‘stakeholder’’ includes: tribal gov-
ernments, educational institutions, landowners, and
other interested public and private entities.
SEC. 605. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.
(a) FOREST RESTORATION PROGRAM.—The Secretary
shall establish a cooperative forest restoration program in
New Mexico in order to provide cost-share grants to stake-
holders for experimental forest restoration projects that are
designed through a collaborative process (hereinafter re-
ferred to as the ‘‘Collaborative Forest Restoration Pro-
gram’’). The projects may be entirely on, or on any com-
bination of, Federal, Tribal, State, County, or Municipal
forest lands. The Federal share of an individual project cost
shall not exceed 80 percent of the total cost. The 20-percent
matching may be in the form of cash or in-kind contribu-
tion.
(b) ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.—To be eligible to re-
ceive funding under this title, a project shall—
(1) address the following objectives—
(A) reduce the threat of large, high intensity
wildfires and the negative effects of excessive
competition between trees by restoring ecosystem
functions, structures, and species composition,
including the reduction of non-native species
populations;
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(B) re-establish fire regimes approximating
those that shaped forest ecosystems prior to fire
suppression;
(C) preserve old and large trees;
(D) replant trees in deforested areas if they
exist in the proposed project area; and
(E) improve the use of, or add value to,
small diameter trees;
(2) comply with all Federal and State environ-
mental laws;
(3) include a diverse and balanced group of
stakeholders as well as appropriate Federal, Tribal,
State, County, and Municipal government representa-
tives in the design, implementation, and monitoring
of the project;
(4) incorporate current scientific forest restora-
tion information; and
(5) include a multiparty assessment to—
(A) identify both the existing ecological con-
dition of the proposed project area and the de-
sired future condition; and
(B) report, upon project completion, on the
positive or negative impact and effectiveness of
the project including improvements in local
management skills and on the ground results;
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(6) create local employment or training opportu-
nities within the context of accomplishing restoration
objectives, that are consistent with the purposes of this
title, including summer youth jobs programs such as
the Youth Conservation Corps where appropriate;
(7) not exceed 4 years in length;
(8) not exceed a total annual cost of $150,000,
with the Federal portion not exceeding $120,000 an-
nually, nor exceed a total cost of $450,000 for the
project, with the Federal portion of the total cost not
exceeding $360,000;
(9) leverage Federal funding through in-kind or
matching contributions; and
(10) include an agreement by each stakeholder to
attend an annual workshop with other stakeholders
for the purpose of discussing the cooperative forest res-
toration program and projects implemented under
this title. The Secretary shall coordinate and fund the
annual workshop. Stakeholders may use funding for
projects authorized under this title to pay for their
travel and per diem expenses to attend the workshop.
SEC. 606. SELECTION PROCESS.
(a) After consulting with the technical advisory panel
established in subsection (b), the Secretary shall select the
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proposals that will receive funding through the Collabo-
rative Forest Restoration Program.
(b) The Secretary shall convene a technical advisory
panel to evaluate the proposals for forest restoration grants
and provide recommendations regarding which proposals
would best meet the objectives of the Collaborative Forest
Restoration Program. The technical advisory panel shall
consider eligibility criteria established in section 605, the
effect on long-term management, and seek to use a con-
sensus-based decisionmaking process to develop such rec-
ommendations. The panel shall be composed of 12 to 15
members, to be appointed by the Secretary as follows:
(1) A State Natural Resource official from the
State of New Mexico.
(2) At least two representatives from Federal
land management agencies.
(3) At least one tribal or pueblo representative.
(4) At least two independent scientists with expe-
rience in forest ecosystem restoration.
(5) Equal representation from—
(A) conservation interests;
(B) local communities; and
(C) commodity interests.
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SEC. 607. MONITORING AND EVALUATION.
The Secretary shall establish a multiparty monitoring
and evaluation process in order to assess the cumulative
accomplishments or adverse impacts of the Collaborative
Forest Restoration Program. The Secretary shall include
any interested individual or organization in the monitoring
and evaluation process. The Secretary also shall conduct a
monitoring program to assess the short- and long-term eco-
logical effects of the restoration treatments, if any, for a
minimum of 15 years.
SEC. 608. REPORT.
No later than 5 years after the first fiscal year in
which funding is made available for this program, the Sec-
retary shall submit a report to the Committee on Energy
and Natural Resources of the United States Senate and the
Committee on Resources of the United States House of Rep-
resentatives. The report shall include an assessment on
whether, and to what extent, the projects funded pursuant
to this title are meeting the purposes of the Collaborative
Forest Restoration Program.
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SEC. 609. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000
annually to carry out this title.
Attest:
Secretary.
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