Oregon Eastside Forests Restoration, Old Growth Protection, and Jobs Act of 2009

Bill: 111-s-2895
Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]
Introduced: 2009-12-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Advisory bodies
Alternative and renewable resources
Ecology
Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Fires
Fishes
Forests, forestry, trees
Lakes and rivers
Land use and conservation
Oregon
Public contracts and procurement
Roads and highways
Watersheds
Wetlands
Wilderness and natural areas, wildlife refuges, wild rivers, habitats
Wildlife conservation and habitat protection

Summary:
action_date: 2009-12-17
text: 
Oregon Eastside Forests Restoration, Old Growth Protection, and Jobs Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture, through the Chief of the Forest Service, to manage certain forest, stream, grassland, wetland, alpine, and other land and water located in a covered area of Oregon to: (1) conserve and restore forest and watershed health; (2) reduce the risk of uncharacteristic natural disturbances from fire, insects, and disease; (3) allow for characteristic natural disturbances; and (4) increase the resistance and resiliency of the covered lands to uncharacteristic events. Requires the Secretary to implement ecological restoration projects in the covered area in order to achieve such goals. 
 
Requires the delineation of each riparian habitat conservation area in a watershed for all permanently flowing streams, lakes, wetlands, seeps, springs, and intermittent streams. 
 
Requires the conservation and restoration of aquatic and riparian resources within National Forest land in the covered area. 
 
Establishes the Eastside Forest Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel to periodically advise the Secretary, collaborative groups, and the public about the development and implementation of forest and watershed management goals, the Eastside Landscape Forest Restoration Assessment, and ecological restoration projects. Requires the Restoration Assessment to include a 10-year restoration plan for the comprehensive ecological restoration of forest and watershed health in the covered area. 
 
 Subjects ecological restoration projects carried out under this Act to an environmental analysis. Provides for expedited judicial review of an action challenging a project developed under this Act.
 
Provides for: (1) the establishment of regional biomass projects; (2) stewardship contracting projects to carry out ecological restoration projects; and (3) the selection of a Deputy Regional Forester to serve as the principal agency contact for implementation of this Act. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2010-06-04
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Senate Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 111-682.
action_date: 2010-03-10
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 111-565.
action_date: 2009-12-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2009-12-17
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S13385-13386)
action_date: 2009-12-17
text: Introduced in Senate