Silviculture Regulatory Consistency Act

Bill: 113-s-971
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]
Introduced: 2013-05-16
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures

Agricultural conservation and pollution

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Environmental regulatory procedures

Forests, forestry, trees

Licensing and registrations

Water quality
Latest action: action_date: 2013-05-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. (text of measure as introduced: CR S3573)

Summaries:
action_date: 2013-05-16
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p>Silviculture Regulatory Consistency Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from requiring, or from promulgating regulations that direct a state to require, a permit under the national pollutant discharge elimination system for a discharge of stormwater runoff resulting from the conduct of the following silvicultural activities: nursery operations, site preparation, reforestation, thinning, prescribed burning, pest and fire control, harvesting operations, surface drainage, and road use, construction, and maintenance.</p> <p> Specifies that nothing in this Act exempts a silvicultural activity resulting in the discharge of dredged of fill material from permit requirements for discharges into navigable waters.</p>

tv_txt: II 113th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 971 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES May 16, 2013 Mr. Wyden (for himself, Mr. Crapo , Mr. Baucus , and Mr. Risch ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works A BILL To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to exempt the conduct of silvicultural activities from national pollutant discharge elimination system permitting requirements.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Silviculture Regulatory Consistency Act . 2. Silvicultural activities Section 402(l) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act ( 33 U.S.C. 1342(l) ) is amended by adding at the end the following: (3) Silvicultural activities (A) NPDES permit requirements for silvicultural activities The Administrator shall not require a permit or otherwise promulgate regulations under this section or directly or indirectly require any State to require a permit under this section for a discharge of stormwater runoff resulting from the conduct of the following silvicultural activities: nursery operations, site preparation, reforestation and subsequent cultural treatment, thinning, prescribed burning, pest and fire control, harvesting operations, surface drainage, and road use, construction, and maintenance. (B) Permits for dredged or fill material Nothing in this paragraph exempts a silvicultural activity resulting in the discharge of dredged or fill material from any permitting requirement under section 404. .