zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Grazing Improvement Act of 2012 - Amends the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (the Act) to double from 10 to 20 years the period of a term for grazing permits and leases for domestic livestock grazing on public lands or lands within national forests in 16 contiguous western states. Permits the issuance of permits and leases for a period shorter than 20 years (under current law, shorter than 10 years), including where the Secretary concerned determines that the initial environmental analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) regarding a grazing allotment, permit, or lease has not been completed. Directs that grazing permits or leases issued by the Secretary of the Interior respecting lands under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior and grazing permits issued by the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) respecting National Forest System lands that expire, are transferred, or are waived after this Act's enactment be renewed or reissued, as appropriate, under the Act, the Granger-Thye Act, the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act, or the California Desert Protection Act of 1994. Allows the exclusion of the renewal, reissuance, or transfer of a grazing permit or lease by the Secretary concerned from the NEPA requirement to prepare an environmental analysis if: (1) such decision continues to renew, reissue, or transfer current grazing management of the allotment; (2) monitoring indicates that such management meets objectives contained in the land use and resource management plan of the allotment; or (3) the decision is consistent with the policy of the Department of the Interior or USDA regarding extraordinary circumstances. Gives the Secretary concerned the sole discretion to determine the priority and timing for completing each required environmental analysis regarding any grazing allotment, permit, or lease based on the environmental significance of such authorization and available funding. Makes NEPA inapplicable to domestic livestock crossing and trailing authorizations and transfers of grazing preference.

Date: 2012-03-21
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Wasatch Wilderness and Watershed Protection Act - Designates specified federal lands in the vicinity of the Lone Peak Wilderness and the Mount Olympus Wilderness, and specified federal lands comprising the Wayne Owens Grandeur Peaks/Mount Aire Wilderness within the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forests in Salt Lake County, Utah, as wilderness and as either a new component or as an addition to an existing component of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Establishes specified federal lands within the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forests as the Mt. Aire, Mt. Olympus, Twin Peaks, and Lone Peak Special Management Areas. Requires the Special Management Areas to be managed to maintain their presently existing wilderness character and potential for inclusion in the System. Allows the commercial helicopter-assisted skiing and snowboarding activities (known as heliskiing) that have been authorized on the federal lands included within the Special Management Areas to continue. Permits the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA), except as provided below, upon the expiration of such an authorization that was in effect for heliskiing, to reissue such authorizations in accordance with Forest Service procedures. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture, within one year from the time in which all heliskiing activities within any special management area are no longer authorized or have otherwise been terminated, to publish a notice in the Federal Register to that effect. Designates the federal lands included within such an Area for which such a notice has been published as wilderness and adds them to the System as described in this Act. Requires a land exchange involving certain federal and non-federal lands concerning the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forests.

Date: 2012-03-27
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
National Forest Emergency Response Act - Declares that the fire hazard and human endangerment in national forests to be designated by the Secretary of Agriculture constitute emergency circumstances. Directs the Secretary to designate (for up to 10 years) at least one national forest in each state that is experiencing conditions that constitute emergency circumstances due to pine beetle infestation, drought, disease, or storm damage and the resulting imminent risk of devastating wildfire that poses significant threat to the economic stability of surrounding areas and the health, safety, and well-being of residents, firefighters, and visitors. Makes provisions of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act regarding hazardous fuel reduction on federal land (including environmental analysis requirements, the special administrative review process, and the judicial review process) applicable to all Forest Service projects and activities implementing the land and resource management plan developed for the designated national forests during the term of the emergency circumstances, subject to specified modifications by the Secretary. Requires a project conducted in a designated national forest under this Act that comprises less than 10,000 acres (with exceptions, including components of the National Wilderness Preservation System, any federal land on which the removal of vegetation is restricted or prohibited by Act of Congress or presidential proclamation, or a congressionally designated wilderness study area) to be considered an action categorically excluded from the requirements for an environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement. Prohibits a U.S. court from issuing any restraining order, preliminary injunction, or injunction pending appeal regarding any decision to engage in remedial action or to prepare, advertise, offer, award, or operate a timber sale in a designated forest. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into a cooperative agreement or contract with a state forester to provide forest, rangeland, and watershed restoration and protection services on national forest system land in that state.

Date: 2012-03-29
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Planning for American Energy Act of 2012 - Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior (the Secretary) and the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to publish every four years a Quadrennial Federal Onshore Energy Production Strategy to direct federal land energy development and department resource allocation in order to promote the energy security of the United States. Instructs the Secretary to consult with the Administrator of the Energy Information Administration on the projected energy demands of the United States for the next 30 years and on how energy derived from federal onshore lands can put the United States on a trajectory that meets such demand during the next 4 years, with a goal for increasing energy independence and production. Requires the Secretary to determine a domestic strategic production objective for the development of energy resources from such lands. Expresses the sense of Congress that federally recognized Indian tribes may elect to set their own production objectives as part of the Strategy. Grants the relevant Secretary all necessary authority to make determinations regarding which additional federal lands available for leasing at the time the lease sale occurs will be available to meet the production objectives established by the strategies. Directs the Secretary to also take all necessary actions to achieve such objectives unless the President determines that it is not in U.S. national security and economic interests to increase federal domestic energy production and to further decrease dependence upon foreign energy sources. Requires the Secretary, within 12 months of this Act's enactment, to complete a programmatic environmental impact statement in accordance with certain requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). Deems such statement sufficient to be in compliance with NEPA requirements for all necessary resource management and land use plans associated with implementation of the Strategy. Requires the Secretary to submit to: (1) the President and Congress, each proposed strategy, together with comments received from the affected states, federally recognized tribes, and local governments prior to publishing it; and (2) Congress the first Strategy within 18 months of enactment.

Date: 2012-04-18
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Forest Stewardship and Fire Fuels Reductions Act of 2012 - Amends the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 to extend, through FY2023, the authority of the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to enter into stewardship end result contracting projects with private persons or other public or private entities to perform services to achieve land management goals for national forests and public lands that meet local and rural community needs. Permits the land management goals of such a project to include restoration work, fire fuels reduction, and clearing of overgrowth on snowpack watersheds.

Date: 2012-04-18
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Y Mountain Access Enhancement Act - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA), upon request by Brigham Young University, to convey an approximately 80-acre parcel of National Forest System land in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest in Utah. Requires Brigham Young University to pay to the Secretary an amount equal to the fair market value of such land, as determined by an appraisal approved by the Secretary. Requires such consideration to be deposited in the general Treasury fund to reduce the federal deficit. Directs Brigham Young University, after the conveyance, to represent that it will: (1) continue allowing the same reasonable public access to the trailhead, and the part of the Y Mountain Trail already owned by the University, as has been historically allowed; and (2) allow such access to the part of the Trail and the "Y" symbol located on the conveyed land. Requires that the exact acreage and legal description of the land to be conveyed be determined by a survey that is satisfactory to the Secretary. Requires Brigham Young University to pay the costs of the survey and appraisal and any administrative analyses required by law.

Date: 2012-04-24
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Sequoia and King Canyon National Parks Backcountry Access Act - Directs, the Secretary of the Interior, until the date on which the Secretary completes any analysis and determination required under the Wilderness Act, to continue to issue authorizations to provide commercial services for commercial stock operations (including commercial use authorizations and concession contracts) within any area designated as wilderness in the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in California at use levels determined to be appropriate. Requires the Secretary to complete a wilderness stewardship plan for the Parks. Terminates the authority of the Secretary to issue authorizations under this Act on the earlier of: (1) when the Secretary begins issuing authorizations to provide commercial services for commercial stock operations within any such areas, as provided in a record of decision issued according to the wilderness stewardship plan; or (2) four years after enactment of this Act.

Date: 2012-04-26
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Small Lands Tracts Conveyance Act - Requires the Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for a state (respecting certain public lands) or the Regional Forester (respecting certain National Forest System lands) to select an eligible federal lands parcel for conveyance: (1) in response to a request by an owner of non-federal land that shares one or more boundaries with such parcel, or (2) upon the recommendation of the BLM District Office or System unit that exercises administration over such parcel. Bars a conveyed eligible parcel from exceeding 160 acres unless the Director or Regional Forester concerned approves a request for additional acreage. Permits acquisition by a person of only one eligible parcel a year, subject to an exception. Instructs the Director or Regional Forester concerned, as consideration for the sale of an eligible parcel, to require a cash payment in an amount equal to not less than the fair market value of such parcel, including the mineral estate, being conveyed. Requires the Director or the Regional Forester concerned to: (1) pay 50% of the consideration received for the sale of an eligible parcel to the county government in which such parcel is located, and (2) deposit the remaining amount in the general Treasury fund. Requires the purchaser of an eligible federal lands parcel under this Act to cover the costs to be incurred, or to reimburse the Director or Regional Forester concerned for the costs incurred, in carrying out the conveyance.

Date: 2012-04-27
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Minnesota Education Investment and Employment Act - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to complete a land exchange involving National Forest System land in Minnesota and Minnesota state lands. Requires the exchange to be consummated pursuant to specified Minnesota law. Makes Minnesota responsible for the costs of the survey and all other administrative costs related to the land exchange. Adds the lands acquired by the Secretary to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and modifies the boundaries of such Wilderness to reflect their inclusion. Prohibits the acquisition, and inclusion, of land by the United States in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness from altering or affecting current fishing and hunting rights. Deems the lands acquired by Minnesota to be state trust lands and to be held in trust for the benefit of its public school system. Expresses the sense of Congress that, whenever the land acquired by Minnesota is not being used for revenue-gathering activities, it should make such land available for other compatible uses, including hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, snowmobiling, and trail riding. Instructs the Secretary to modify the boundaries of Superior National Forest to reflect the land exchange under this Act. States that the land exchange under this Act shall not be considered to be a major federal action. Prohibits the Secretary from taking into consideration the lands acquired by the United States in determining the appraisal value of System lands in Minnesota used for the purposes of making payments to Minnesota under the Thye-Blatnik Act and Humphrey-Thye-Blatnik-Andreson Act. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress, if the Secretary fails to complete the land exchange within the 18-month period following enactment of this Act.

Date: 2012-05-08
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Berryessa Snow Mountain National Conservation Area Act - Establishes the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Conservation Area, to comprise approximately 319,300 acres of federal land within Napa, Lake, Mendocino, and Yolo Counties in California. States that the purpose of the Conservation Area is the conservation, protection, and enhancement of the ecological, scenic, wildlife, recreational, cultural, historical, natural, educational, and scientific resources of the lands included in the Area for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations. Continues to provide private landowners with adequate access to inholdings in the Conservation Area. Allows only those uses of the Conservation Area that would further the purposes for which it is established. Requires a comprehensive plan for the protection and management of the federal lands included within the Conservation Area. Requires such plan to: (1) assess the impacts of climate change, (2) include a comprehensive weed management strategy, and (3) include a plan to address the public safety and environmental clean-up issues associated with illegal marijuana production. Permits grazing in the Conservation Area: (1) where established before this Act's enactment, or (2) through issuing annual permits for non-commercial grazing to control noxious weeds. Establishes the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Conservation Area Advisory Council to advise with respect to the preparation and implementation of the management plan. Requires the appointment of one Council member to represent Native American Tribes.

Date: 2012-05-08
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Catastrophic Wildfire Prevention Act of 2012 - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA), with respect to National Forest System lands, and the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to public lands, (the Secretaries) to implement authorized wildfire prevention projects in at-risk forests and threatened and endangered species in a manner that focuses on surface, ladder, and canopy fuels reduction activities. Requires projects carried out on threatened and endangered species habitat to: (1) provide enhanced protection from wildfire, including catastrophic wildfire, for the endangered species, threatened species, or their habitat; and (2) comply with applicable recovery plan guidelines. Requires projects carried out in at-risk forests to move the federal land from condition class II or III toward condition class I. Permits use in a project of: (1) domestic livestock grazing to reduce surface fuel loads and to recover burned areas; and (2) timber harvesting and thinning to reduce ladder and canopy fuel loads for the prevention of wildfire, including catastrophic wildfires. Directs the Secretaries to review public petitions for, and make determinations with respect to, the designation of federal lands as at-risk forests or as threatened and endangered species habitats. Requires notice in the Federal Register of proposed projects and final designated projects and permits public comment on projects as specified. Instructs the Secretaries to prepare an environmental assessment for projects that include timber harvesting or grazing. Instructs the Secretaries to research what impact any listing of a species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 would have on both forage and timber forest fuel loads. Requires endangered species recovery plans and critical habitat determinations to include a wildfire risk assessment analysis.

Date: 2012-05-15
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Emergency Water Supply Restoration Act - Allows state agencies and political subdivisions, when a state of emergency declared by the governor of a state authorizes access to, reconstruction of, repairs to, or restoration of water sources, supplies, or infrastructure in a wilderness area to take all reasonable and necessary means to access, reconstruct, repair, or restore such sources, supplies, or infrastructure. Prohibits federal agencies from interfering or otherwise impeding such access, reconstruction, repairs, or restoration during a declared state of emergency.

Date: 2012-05-16
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Stopping Non-Native Animals from Killing Endangered Species Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a program to award grants to organizations that operate or will operate programs using dogs trained to detect non-native constrictor snakes in order to: (1) eradicate such snakes from ecosystems in which they exist in sustainable populations, and (2) prevent such snakes from establishing or expanding sustainable populations in ecosystems that can support such populations. Limits the federal share of the costs of any program operated by an organization that receives a grant to 50% of total program costs. Prohibits any such organization from reserving more than 5% of the grant funds for administrative expenses.

Date: 2012-06-07
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Animals
Depleting Risk from Insect Infestation, Soil Erosion, and Catastrophic Fire Act of 2012 - Amends the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to state findings concerning the threat to forests in the Western region of the United States posed by the mountain pine beetle. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) or the Secretary of the Interior, as appropriate, to designate as part of an insect and disease treatment and research pilot program at least one subwatershed in at least one national forest in each state that is experiencing an insect or disease epidemic and characterized by: (1) substantially increased tree mortality due to infestation; (2) the risk of substantially increased tree mortality over the next 15 years due to infestation; or (3) presence in an area in which the risk of hazard trees poses an imminent risk to public infrastructure, health, or safety. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out priority projects on federal land in the designated subwatersheds to reduce the risk or extent of, or increase the resilience to, insect or disease infestation in the subwatersheds. Deems such projects to be authorized hazardous fuel reduction projects. Extends the authorization of appropriations for the insect infestation and related diseases program through FY2017. Allows the Secretary to use amounts appropriated to carry out the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act to cover the costs of technical assistance, management, and enforcement responsibilities for land enrolled in the healthy forests reserve program. Authorizes the Chief of the Forest Service and the Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to enter into stewardship contracting projects to perform services to achieve land management goals for the national forests and the public lands that meet local and rural community needs. Replaces a similar program established by the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999. Allows the Secretary to issue a task order for, or enter into a good neighbor agreement or a cooperative agreement or contract with, a governor for purposes of carrying out similar and complementary forest, rangeland, and watershed restoration services on adjacent federal and non-federal land (with exceptions). Amends emergency runoff retardation and soil erosion preventive provisions of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to require the Secretary of Agriculture to give priority consideration to applications for assistance submitted by landowners and land users for measures needed to remediate the effects of catastrophic wildfire on federal land that is the source of drinking water for the landowners and land users.

Date: 2012-06-19
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Self-Sufficient Community Lands Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to establish the community forest demonstration area or areas of a state, consisting of National Forest System (NFS) land, at the request of a Board of Trustees appointed by a governor to manage such land in that state. Conditions establishment of an area upon: (1) inclusion of at least 200,000 acres of NFS land; (2) a state forest practices law or regulatory structure applicable to state or privately owned forest land; (3) agreement with the governor by the county in which the land is located requiring the county, in using revenues received from the area, to continue to meet obligations under applicable state law pursuant to the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 or other provisions concerning payment of receipts for the benefit of public schools and roads. Excludes from a community forest demonstration area land that is a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System or on which the removal of vegetation is specifically prohibited by federal law. Deems the administration and management of a community forest demonstration area, including implementing actions, not to be federal action and subject to federal laws only to the extent that they apply to the state administration and management of forest lands in which the community forest demonstration area is located.

Date: 2012-06-21
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Green Mountain Lookout Heritage Protection Act - Amends the Washington State Wilderness Act of 1984, with respect to certain lands in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie and Wenatchee National Forests in the state of Washington designated as part of the Glacier Peak Wilderness, to specifically allow the operation and maintenance of Green Mountain Lookout. Prohibits the Chief of the Forest Service from moving the Lookout from its current location on Green Mountain in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest unless the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) determines that its move is necessary to preserve the Lookout or to ensure the safety of individuals on or around Green Mountain. Requires the Secretary, if such a determination is made, to move the Lookout to a location outside of the lands described in this Act, above.

Date: 2012-06-27
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Endangered Fish Recovery Programs Extension Act of 2012 - Extends through FY2019 the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to use power revenues collected pursuant to the Colorado River Storage Project Act for annual base funding of endangered fish recovery implementation programs for the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins. Sets forth restrictions with respect to the indirect cost recovery rate for any transfer of funds to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from another federal agency for the purpose of funding any activity associated with such programs. Prohibits the use of federal funds to cover expenses incurred by an employee or detailee of the Department of the Interior to travel to any location (other than the field office to which that individual is otherwise assigned) to advocate, lobby, or attend meetings that advocate or lobby for such programs.

Date: 2012-06-29
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Las Vegas Valley Public Land and Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument Act of 2012 - Establishes the Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument in Nevada. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to provide for interpretation, education, and scientific research on the Monument's paleontological resources. Instructs the Secretary to issue to a qualified electric utility a 400-foot right-of-way for the construction of high-voltage transmission facilities identified as the Renewable Energy Transmission Corridor. Establishes the Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument Advisory Council. Adds specified land to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Requires conveyance of land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) identified as the North Las Vegas Job Creation Zone to the city of North Las Vegas, Nevada, for use for nonresidential development. Permits North Las Vegas to retain a part of such land for public recreation or other public purposes. Amends the Clark County Conservation of Public Land and Natural Resources Act of 2002 to convey additional land to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for development of an access road and parking facilities. Permits the county to convey to a unit of local government or regional governmental entity land within the Airport Environs Overlay District if such land is used for a public purpose. Requires specified federal lands be conveyed for: (1) the Nevada System of Higher Education, (2) the Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport, and (3) an off-road vehicle recreation park. Releases the Sunrise Mountain Instant Study Area from further study for designation as wilderness. Designates: (1) an Economic Support Area in North Las Vegas, and (2) the Nellis Dunes Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area.

Date: 2012-06-29
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Hunt Unrestricted on National Treasures Act or the HUNT Act - Requires each head of a federal public land management agency (the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management [BLM]), to annually make available to the public on its website a report that includes: (1) a list of the lands more than 640 acres in size under its jurisdiction on which the public is allowed to hunt, fish, or use such lands for other recreational purposes and to which there is no public access or egress or to which such access or egress to the lands' legal boundaries is significantly restricted; (2) a list of such lands that the agency head determines have significant potential for use for hunting, fishing, and other recreational purposes; and (3) a plan to provide such access and egress that is consistent with the travel management plan in effect. Requires each agency head to make available to the public on the agency's website, and thereafter revise, a list of roads or trails that provide the primary public access and egress to the legal boundaries of contiguous parcels of land equal to more than 640 acres in size under the agency's jurisdiction on which the public is allowed to hunt, fish, or use such lands for other recreational purposes. Amends the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 to require allotment from the Land and Water Conservation Fund of an amount not less than 1.5 % of the moneys appropriated for projects that secure public access to federal land for hunting, fishing, and other recreational purposes through easements, rights-of-way, or fee title acquisitions from willing sellers.

Date: 2012-07-09
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Healthy Forest Management Act of 2012 - Declares that the bark beetle epidemic, drought, and deteriorating forest health conditions on National Forest System land and public lands, with the resulting imminent risk of devastating wildfires, is an imminent threat within the meaning of roadless area management regulations applicable to a state. Allows a state governor or the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA), with respect the National Forest System, or of the Interior, with respect to public lands, to designate high-risk areas of the national forests and public lands in the state for purposes of addressing: (1) deteriorating forest health conditions due to the bark beetle epidemic or drought, with the resulting imminent risk of devastating wildfires; and (2) the future risk of insect infestations or disease outbreaks through preventative treatments to improve forest health conditions. Excludes wilderness areas and national monuments from designation as high-risk areas. Establishes a 20-year period for such high-risk area designation. Allows a governor or the Secretary, upon designation of a high-risk area, to provide for the development of proposed emergency hazardous fuels reduction projects for the area. Prohibits clear cutting as a part of any such project. Applies the administrative and judicial review processes of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003, with modifications, to such projects. Authorizes the Secretary concerned to enter into cooperative agreements and contracts with state foresters to provide forest, rangeland, and watershed restoration and protection services that include: (1) activities to treat insect infected trees; (2) activities to reduce hazardous fuels; and (3) any other activities to restore or improve forest, rangeland, and watershed health, including fish and wildlife habitat. Permits state foresters to enter into subcontracts to provide such restoration and protection services. Amends the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 to extend the authority to enter, and the duration of, contracts to perform services to achieve land management goals for national forests that meet local and rural community needs.

Date: 2012-07-09
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to repeal the $15 million limitation placed upon the total annual payment to certified states or Indian tribes in connection with abandoned mine reclamation.

Date: 2012-07-12
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Restoring Storey County Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior, through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), to convey to Storey County, Nevada, all surface rights of the United States in and to specified federal land, including any improvements. Makes the BLM responsible for all costs associated with such conveyance.

Date: 2012-07-25
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Niblack Mining Area Road Authorization Act - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, to establish a road corridor that follows 1 of the 2 routes identified as "Niblack Route 1" or "Niblack Route 2" on the map entitled "Road to Niblack Mine," numbered 1, and dated June 21, 2012, to connect the Prince of Wales Island road system in Alaska to the area of the Niblack patented mineral claims on the southeast side of Prince of Wales Island. Sets forth requirements for such road corridor. Authorizes Alaska and the Prince of Wales Community Advisory Council to participate as cooperating agencies during the preparation of any environmental impact statement prepared with respect to the road corridor. Expresses the intent of Congress that any federal permit required for such road construction be issued or denied within one year after the date of the permit application.

Date: 2012-07-26
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Directs the Secretary of the Interior, if the Secretary receives an offer from the city of Fernley, Nevada, to purchase identified federal land within the city, acting through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Bureau of Reclamation, to convey to the city all interest of the United States in such land in exchange for consideration in an amount equal to the fair market value of the land. Requires the Secretary to determine the fair market value of the federal land based upon an appraisal conducted according to nationally recognized appraisal standards. Permits the city and the Bureau of Reclamation to retain easements or rights-of-way on the federal land to be conveyed, including easements or rights-of-way that are necessary to carry out the operation and maintenance of the Truckee Canal Irrigation District Canal or the Newlands Project. Requires the city to pay or reimburse the Secretary, as appropriate, for reasonable transaction and administrative personnel costs associated with such conveyance, including the costs of appraisal, title searches, maps, and boundary and cadastral surveys. Releases the United States from all liabilities or claims of any kind or nature arising from the presence, release, or threat of release of any hazardous substance, pollutant, contaminant, petroleum product (or derivative of a petroleum product), solid waste, mine materials, or mining related features existing on the federal land.

Date: 2012-07-31
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Wildfire Suppression Aircraft Transfer Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to transfer to the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) 14 C-27J aircraft that are excess to DOD needs and that acceptable for use by the Forest Service for wildfire suppression purposes. Grants the USDA Secretary priorty over other federal agencies regarding such transfers. Allows the DOD Secretary during FY2013-FY2017 to sell aircraft and aircraft parts that are excess to DOD needs to persons or entities contracting with the federal government for wildfire suppression purposes.

Date: 2012-08-01
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), if an offer is received from the city of Carlin, Nevada, to purchase federal land within the city to convey to the city all interest of the United States in such land in exchange for consideration equal to the fair market value of the land. Requires the Secretary to determine the fair market value of the federal land based on an appraisal according to nationally recognized appraisal standards. Permits the city to pay or reimburse the Secretary, as appropriate, for reasonable transaction and administrative personnel costs associated with such conveyance, including the costs of appraisal, title searches, maps, and boundary and cadastral surveys. Prohibits a conveyance or combination of conveyances under this Act from being considered a major federal action under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). Releases the United States from all liabilities or claims of any kind or nature arising from the presence, release, or threat of release of any hazardous substance, pollutant, contaminant, petroleum product (or derivative of a petroleum product) solid waste, mine materials, or mining related features existing on the federal land.

Date: 2012-08-02
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to convey at current state of agricultural use market prices specified lands formerly part of the Fort Bayard Military Reservation, Grant County, New Mexico, to the Village of Santa Clara, the City of Bayard, and Grant County, New Mexico, in tracts of not less than 40 acres, for business and community development. Requires approval of all parties for any such conveyance. Provides that the Secretary shall be responsible for the costs and recovery of any historic or prehistoric cultural properties located on such lands.

Date: 2012-08-02
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to convey the Forest Service Lake Hill Administrative Site in Summit County, Colorado.

Date: 2012-09-11
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Keep the Forest in the Family Estate Tax Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) provide an exemption from the additional estate tax for the disposition or severance of standing timber on a qualified woodland for timber that is harvested consistent with a written forest management plan or under professional guidance, and (2) increase from $750,000 to $5 million the limitation on the reduction in the fair market value of real property used for farming or in another trade or business for estate tax purposes.

Date: 2012-09-19
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Taxation
Amends the Lincoln County Land Act of 2000 (the Act) to require implementation of a multispecies habitat conservation plan in Lincoln County, Nevada. Amends the Act and the Lincoln County Conservation, Recreation, and Development Act of 2004 to make certain amounts available for pinyon-juniper dominated landscape restoration projects within the county, consistent with the Ely Resource Management Plan. Requires a portion of the proceeds from land sales under the above Acts to be used for economic development in Lincoln County. Excludes specified public lands within certain utility corridors in Lincoln and Clark Counties, Nevada, from being withdrawn from public land, mining, and mineral leasing and geothermal leasing laws.

Date: 2012-09-20
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Soledad Canyon Mine Mitigation and Relocation Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior, through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), to begin a study of the legal and administrative steps, including obtaining sufficient funding, necessary to carry out the goals of the Soledad Canyon High Desert, California Public Lands Conservation and Management Act of 2009.

Date: 2012-09-20
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
National Integrated Drought Information System Reauthorization Act of 2012 - Amends the National Integrated Drought Information System Act of 2006 to specify that the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) Program shall better inform and provide for more timely decisionmaking to reduce drought related impacts and costs. Revises NIDIS functions to require the NIDIS to, among other things: (1) provide certain information, forecasts, and assessments described in the Act on both national and regional levels; and (2) continue ongoing research activities related to drought. Requires the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to provide a report to Congress concerning the NIDIS Program. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the Act through FY2017.

Date: 2012-09-21
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Science, technology, communications
Nevada Mining Townsite Conveyance Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), to convey, to the counties in which they are situated, all interest of the United States in certain mining townsites in Esmeralda and Nye Counties, Nevada. Requires a county receiving a site to reconvey the property to anyone with a valid interest in the site. Requires, for purposes of proving a valid interest, that anyone making the claim must have occupied the site for a least 15 years immediately before enactment. Prohibits a county from recognizing a claim submitted more than 10 years after enactment. Requires the preservation and protection of all historic and cultural resources on conveyed or reconveyed sites.

Date: 2012-09-21
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Defend Your Home Against Wildfire Act - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) and the Secretary of the Interior to establish a process for the expedited consideration of a permit application submitted by the owner of eligible private property to remove vegetation on federal land adjacent to the property to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire that would threaten a residential structure on such property. Requires the final decision on an application for a vegetation removal permit to be made no later than 14 days after the application is received. Prohibits a vegetation removal permit from authorizing vegetation removal activities by a private landowner on federal land more than 100 feet beyond the boundary or boundaries shared by such land and the eligible private property. Authorizes the Secretary concerned to make a grant to a recipient of a vegetation removal permit to help cover up to 25% of the vegetation removal costs.

Date: 2012-09-21
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Naval Air Station Fallon Housing and Safety Development Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to transfer to the Secretary of the Navy, without consideration, approximately 400 acres of federal land that is adjacent to Naval Air Station Fallon in Churchill County, Nevada, and that was withdrawn under a specified public land order.

Date: 2012-11-16
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Tumacacori Highlands Wilderness Act - Amends the Arizona Wilderness Act of 1984 to include certain land in Pajarita Wilderness in Coronado National Forest. Designates certain lands, in Arizona, in the Coronado National Forest as wilderness and as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, to be known as the "Tumacacori Highlands Wilderness."

Date: 2012-11-28
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Anchorage Land Conveyance Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey, without consideration, to the city of Anchorage, Alaska, the reversionary interests of the United States in specified parcels of non-federal land in order to unencumber the title to such land to enable the economic development of such land. Requires the city to pay all costs associated with such conveyance.

Date: 2012-11-29
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey to River Bottom Farms of La Paz County, Arizona, specified Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land in Riverside County, California, in exchange for two specified parcels of non-federal land in the county from River Bottoms Farms that are contiguous to the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge. Subjects the conveyed federal land to valid existing rights, including easements, rights-of-way, utility lines, and any other valid encumbrances on the such land as of the date of conveyance. Requires the values of the federal and non-federal lands to be exchanged to be equal, or equalized, by a cash payment to the Secretary or River Bottom Farms, as appropriate. Requires the acquired non-federal land to become a part of the Cibola Wildlife Refuge.

Date: 2012-12-05
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to convey to the state of California a parcel of approximately 12.55 acres of National Forest System land in the Pacific Southwest Region to permit the state to use such land to relocate the South Operations Coordination Center. Defines "South Operations Coordination Center" as the state facility that is jointly operated by the state and the Forest Service and is used for providing emergency support for wildland fires and other emergencies. Requires the state, as consideration for the conveyance of the land, to pay an amount equal to the fair market value of the conveyed land. Requires the state to cover the costs to be incurred by the Secretary, or to reimburse the Secretary for the costs incurred in carrying out such conveyance. Subjects such conveyance to valid existing rights.

Date: 2012-12-13
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Blackwater Trading Post Land Transfer Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to take the Blackwater Trading Post lands in Pinal County, Arizona, into trust for the benefit of the Gila River Indian Community of the Gila River Indian Reservation after the Community: (1) conveys such lands to the Secretary; (2) requests the Secretary to take such lands into trust for the Community; (3) if a survey is necessary, conducts one pursuant to this Act; and (4) pays the cost of any such survey. Treats the lands that are taken into trust as a part of the Gila River Indian Reservation. Prohibits the Community from conducting gaming on such lands.

Date: 2012-12-20
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Elimination of Double Subsidies for the Hardrock Mining Industry Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to disallow the percentage depletion allowance for hardrock mines located on land currently subject to the general mining laws, or on land patented under such laws. Dedicates revenues resulting from this Act to deficit reduction.

Date: 2011-01-25
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Taxation
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Conservation and Recreation Act - Designates specified land and inland water within the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan as wilderness and as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS), to be known as the Sleeping Bear Dunes Wilderness. Requires the boundary of the Wilderness to be: (1) 100 feet from the centerline of adjacent county roads, and (2) 300 feet from the centerline of adjacent state highways. Specifies this Act's effect on: (1) the maintenance and improvement of roads located outside the boundary of the Wilderness; (2) Michigan's jurisdiction with respect to the management of fish and wildlife, including hunting and fishing, within the National Lakeshore; and (3) any treaty rights or any existing valid private property rights.

Date: 2011-01-25
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Requires conveyance of approximately 44 acres of federally owned land administered by the Agricultural Research Service which comprises part of the National Animal Disease Center in the city of Ames, Iowa, to the city of Ames and its assigns.

Date: 2011-01-25
Topic: Public Lands (Public Lands)
Subject: Agriculture and food