{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr2936-115/featured_resilient-federal-forests-act-of-2017-1504208475.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr2936-115/featured_large_resilient-federal-forests-act-of-2017-1504208475.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr2936-115.png"},"introduced_on":"2017-06-20","title_override":"Should Federal Forests be Actively Managed to Prevent Wildfires and Disease?","summary_override":"

This bill — known as the Resilient Federal Forests Act — would seek to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire and improve the health of federal forests by actively managing federal forests and expediting related environmental reviews. It would also provide for streamlined reforestation after wildfires, allow the president to make disaster declarations for major wildfires, and reform litigation practices involving forest management.

The Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) would be required to analyze only two alternatives when assessing a forest management project proposed by a collaborative group: an “action alternative” (ie the proposal), and a “no action” alternative that considers potential future impacts from not undertaking the project. Among those potential future impacts would be insect & disease threats, catastrophic wildfire and its impact on municipal watersheds, wildlife habitat, and other socio-economic factors.

Categorical exclusions — a category of actions which don’t have a significant effect on the environment and thus don’t require an environmental assessment — could be authorized to counteract insect & disease threats, reduce wildfire hazards, increase water yield, improve or enhance critical habitat, produce timber, or any combination of these purposes. Acreage sizes for categorical exclusions would be limited to 10,000 acres, or 30,000 acres if it’s a collaborative project.

Following a large-scale wildfire, an environmental assessment for reforestation activities would be required within two months, and at least 75 percent of the burned area would have to be reforested. Public input would be limited to 30 days for public scoping, 15 days for filing an objection, and 15 days for an agency to respond to an objection.

The president would be allowed to declare major wildfires a natural disaster under the Stafford Act (which is also used for hurricanes), which would make emergency funding available for wildfire suppression and prevents “fire-borrowing” by the Forest Service from non-fire suppression forest management accounts.

Time limits would be established on preliminary injunctions for forest management litigation, and courts would be required to weigh the risks of not taking action. No awards for attorney’s fees or expenses could be paid to any plaintiff challenging a forest management activity. A pilot program utilizing arbitration for resolving legal challenges to projects carried out under this legislation would be established.

Other provisions of this bill include:

Indian tribes would be allowed to request to manage adjacent federal lands with streamlined authorities currently available to them on Indian land. They would be required to offer timber obtained using the new authorities for sale through competitive bid.
The original 500 million board feet of timber minimum volume requirement on Oregon & California Railroad Revested Lands (O&C Lands) managed by BLM is affirmed, and BLM is required to annually offer for sale the greater of 500 mmbf or the sustained yield.
The Fair Labor Standards Act would be amended to allow 16 and 17 year olds to participate in a family-run mechanized logging operation.

","official_title":"To expedite under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and improve forest management activities on National Forest System lands, on public lands under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management, and on Tribal lands to return resilience to overgrown, fire-prone forested lands, and for other purposes.","short_title":"Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017\n\nThis bill shall apply whenever the Department concerned, either the Department of Agriculture for National Forest System (NFS) lands or the Department of the Interior for public lands, prepares an environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) for specified forest management activities, including those that:\n\n will occur on lands identified as suitable for timber production; or will occur on a landscape-scale area designated by the Department concerned as part of an insect and disease treatment program on NSF land pursuant to the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003, notwithstanding whether such activity is initiated before September 30, 2018. In such an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement, the Department concerned shall study, develop, and describe only these two alternatives:\n\n the forest management activity, and the alternative of no action....","summarized":true,"cost":null,"cost_commentary":"A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.","impact":"Federal forests and the communities in and near them; the Forest Service and the BLM.","argument_for":"Wildfires and disease pose a significant threat to national forests, in part because they’re overgrown. Active management using tools already available to the Forest Service and BLM would improve the health resilience of our nation’s forests.","argument_against":"This bill would expose national forests to reckless logging practices and endanger treasured public lands. It would shortcut environmental reviews and public involvement that let communities weigh in on the process in some cases.","bill_type":"hr","published":true,"type":"FederalBill","id":"hr2936-115","bill_id":"hr2936-115","formal_id":"H.R. 2936","chamber":"house","congress":115,"last_action_at":"2017-11-02T00:00:00.000Z","active":true,"enacted":false,"enacted_at":null,"vetoed":false,"last_vote_at":"2017-11-01T22:19:02.000Z","debated_on":null,"congress_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th/house-bill/2936","plain_text_url":"https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-115hr2936rfs/html/BILLS-115hr2936rfs.htm","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr2936-115.png","congress_full_text_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th/house-bill/2936/text","is_current_congress":false,"last_version_on":"2017-11-02","related_bill_ids":["hr1454-115","hr1483-115","hr3208-115","s605-115","hres595-115"],"progress":"Passed House","house_passage_result":true,"senate_passage_result":false,"position_count":857,"committees":[{"name":"Committee on Agriculture","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSAG","subcommittee":false},{"name":"Committee on Education and Labor","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSED","subcommittee":false},{"name":"Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry","chamber":"senate","committee_id":"SSAF","subcommittee":false},{"name":"Committee on Natural Resources","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSII","subcommittee":false},{"name":"Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSPW","subcommittee":false},{"name":"Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSPW13","subcommittee":true}],"links":{"rollCalls":"/api/roll_calls?bill_id=hr2936-115","details":"/api/bills/hr2936-115/details","sharingMessage":"/api/sharing_messages/hr2936-115","positionsFor":"/api/bills/hr2936-115/positions/for","positionsAgainst":"/api/bills/hr2936-115/positions/against"},"upcoming":false,"cosponsors_count":18,"slug":"hr2936-115-resilient-federal-forests-act-of-2017","latest_chamber_votes_id":"hr2936-115","official_url":null,"target_video":true,"following":false,"vote_count":6207,"yea_vote_count":3041,"nay_vote_count":3145,"passed_house":true,"passed_senate":false,"vote_id":null,"my_position_id":null,"topic_ids":["public-land-and-resources","government","economy","environment"],"issue_ids":["public-land-and-resources","federal-agencies","business","government","economy","environment"],"sponsor_id":37}],"votes":[],"issues":[{"id":"public-land-and-resources","name":"Public Land & Resources","slug":"public-land-and-resources","description":"US Congressional Legislation related to the administration of Public Lands, including: National Parks, Historic Sites, Marine and Coastal Resources, Monuments, Mining, Parks and Wilderness Areas. ","page_title":"US Federal legislation about Public Lands, National Parks and Wilderness - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/public-land-and-resources/black_public-land-and-resources-1429042039.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/public-land-and-resources/grey_public-land-and-resources-1429042039.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/public-land-and-resources/white_public-land-and-resources-1429042039.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"federal-agencies","name":"Federal Agencies","slug":"federal-agencies","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding Federal Agencies. Make your voice heard about the issues you care about. \r\n","page_title":"Federal Agencies Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/federal-agencies/black_federal-agencies-1429042054.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/federal-agencies/grey_federal-agencies-1429042054.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/federal-agencies/white_federal-agencies-1429042054.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"business","name":"Business","slug":"business","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding Business. Make your voice heard about the issues you care about. ","page_title":"Business Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/business/black_business-1429042053.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/business/grey_business-1429042053.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/business/white_business-1429042053.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"government","name":"Government","slug":"government","description":"Federal legislation related to the operations of the US Federal Government. Bills can encompass government administration, regulation of political parties, the US postal service, US territories and public contracts.","page_title":"US Government - Federal legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/government/black_government-1453508811.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/government/grey_government-1453508811.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/government/white_government-1453508811.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"economy","name":"Economy","slug":"economy","description":"The US Economy is heavily impacted by Federal legislation. Here you can find bills encompassing US monetary policy, the US Federal Budget, overall government spending, appropriations and how we handle the US federal debt and state finances. ","page_title":"Legislation related to the US Economy, monetary policy, the federal budget and government spending - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/economy/black_economy-1429042041.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/economy/grey_economy-1429042041.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/economy/white_economy-1429042041.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"environment","name":"Environment","slug":"environment","description":"Congressional legislation related to research and regulation of the Environment, including: Air and water quality, Pollution, Climate Change, Recycling, Radioactive Waste, Hazardous Wastes and Toxic Substances. ","page_title":"Federal legislation related to environmental protections and regulation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/environment/black_environment-1429042042.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/environment/grey_environment-1429042042.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/environment/white_environment-1429042042.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false}],"users":[{"name":"burrkitty","vote_count":1157,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/8mrvqvpm/large_8mrvqvpm-1581212707.jpg","small":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/8mrvqvpm/small_8mrvqvpm-1581212707.jpg","tiny":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/8mrvqvpm/tiny_8mrvqvpm-1581212707.jpg","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/724966854372469/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/8mrvqvpm/following","followers":"/api/users/8mrvqvpm/followers"},"about_me":"You may have to confront the risk, the possibility, of your own death. Since the day you were born, that’s always been on the cards. Most of us find it easier to bury our heads in the sand. Avoidance is the #1 most popular coping strategy in the world. We live in denial of the self-evident fact that we all die eventually. The Stoics believed that when we’re confronted with our own mortality, and grasp its implications, that can change our perspective on life quite dramatically. Any of us could die at any moment. Life doesn’t go on forever. If you say that you won't vote in the general election if your candidate doesn't win the nomination, you're saying to millions of people you think their suffering is an appropriate price for your righteous indignation.\nThere is NO moral justification for sitting out this election. IRL I am an environmental hydrogeologist. I specialize in municipal stormwater management and karst groundwater systems. You can deny the effects of anthropogenic forced global climate change all day, but when your water well salts up, your streets and yards flood, or your house falls in a sinkhole or gets crushed by a landslide you will be calling me for help like I am the GD Batman.","twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":"burrkitty","issue_count":139,"is_following":null,"influence_score":15110,"influence_level":40,"follower_count":509,"following_count":40,"position_count":986,"id":"8mrvqvpm","partner_id":null},{"name":"Truman","vote_count":34,"photos":{"large":"https://graph.facebook.com/1266797980027479/picture?width=150&height=150","small":"https://graph.facebook.com/1266797980027479/picture?width=75&height=75","tiny":"https://graph.facebook.com/1266797980027479/picture?width=20&height=20","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/1266797980027479/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/4mKX3xq9/following","followers":"/api/users/4mKX3xq9/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":27,"is_following":null,"influence_score":20,"influence_level":10,"follower_count":0,"following_count":2,"position_count":17,"id":"4mKX3xq9","partner_id":null}],"bill_position":{"flagged":false,"id":"39801e57-d1d5-49c2-b45e-ba41fd2f4a89","argument_for":null,"argument_against":"I used to live in AR and I assure you that Rep Bruce is not interested in preserving our forests. He is interested in the money from Weyerhaeuser. This is a logging scheme dressed in \"protection\" language. Don't be fooled. Follow the money. ","show_argument_for":false,"show_argument_against":true,"upvote_count":1,"upvotes_for_count":null,"upvotes_against_count":1,"has_upvoted":false,"endorsement_count":1,"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/positions/39801e57-d1d5-49c2-b45e-ba41fd2f4a89"},"body":"I used to live in AR and I assure you that Rep Bruce is not interested in preserving our forests. He is interested in the money from Weyerhaeuser. This is a logging scheme dressed in \"protection\" language. Don't be fooled. Follow the money. ","stance":"nay","created_at":"2017-09-10T09:49:22.126Z","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/positions/39801e57-d1d5-49c2-b45e-ba41fd2f4a89.png","note_color":null,"note_text":null,"bill_id":"hr2936-115","user_id":"8mrvqvpm","endorser_ids":["4mKX3xq9"]}}

Like Causes?

burrkitty

Should Federal Forests be Actively Managed to Prevent Wildfires and Disease?