Proven Wildfire Reduction Techniques Act of 2019

Proven Wildfire Reduction Techniques Act of 2019

This bill authorizes the Department of Agriculture, for National Forest System lands, and the Department of the Interior, for public lands, to carry out insect and disease treatment programs in qualified forests (i.e., forests located in National Forest System lands or public lands) that meet the criteria specified under the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 691 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 691

   To amend the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to authorize 
insect and disease treatment programs on certain Federal land, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 18, 2019

  Mr. Walden introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Natural 
 Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to authorize 
insect and disease treatment programs on certain Federal land, and for 
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Proven Wildfire Reduction Techniques 
Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. TREATMENT AREAS.

    Section 602 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 
U.S.C. 6591a) is amended--
            (1) in the heading, by striking ``designation of'';
            (2) by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:
    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Coos bay wagon road grant lands.--The term `Coos Bay 
        Wagon Road Grant lands' means the lands reconveyed to the 
        United States pursuant to the first section of the Act of 
        February 26, 1919 (40 Stat. 1179).
            ``(2) Declining forest health.--The term `declining forest 
        health' means a qualified forest that is experiencing--
                    ``(A) substantially increased tree mortality due to 
                insect or disease infestation; or
                    ``(B) dieback due to infestation or defoliation by 
                insects or disease.
            ``(3) Oregon and california railroad grant lands.--The term 
        `Oregon and California Railroad Grant lands' means the 
        following lands:
                    ``(A) All lands in the State of Oregon revested in 
                the United States under the Act of June 9, 1916 (39 
                Stat. 218), that are administered by the Secretary of 
                the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Land 
                Management, pursuant to the first section of the Act of 
                August 28, 1937 (43 U.S.C. 1181a).
                    ``(B) All lands in that State obtained by the 
                Secretary of the Interior pursuant to the land 
                exchanges authorized and directed by section 2 of the 
                Act of June 24, 1954 (43 U.S.C. 1181h).
                    ``(C) All lands in that State acquired by the 
                United States at any time and made subject to the 
                provisions of title II of the Act of August 28, 1937 
                (43 U.S.C. 1181f).
            ``(4) Public lands.--The term `public lands' has the 
        meaning given that term in section 103 of the Federal Land 
        Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702), except that 
        the term includes Coos Bay Wagon Road Grant lands and Oregon 
        and California Railroad Grant lands.
            ``(5) Qualified forest.--The term `qualified forest' means 
        a forest located in--
                    ``(A) National Forest System lands; or
                    ``(B) public lands.
            ``(6) Secretary concerned.--The term `Secretary concerned' 
        means--
                    ``(A) with respect to National Forest System lands, 
                the Secretary of Agriculture; and
                    ``(B) with respect to public lands, the Secretary 
                of the Interior.'';
            (3) by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:
    ``(b) Authority.--The Secretary concerned may carry out insect and 
disease treatment programs in a qualified forest that meets the 
requirements specified in subsection (c).'';
            (4) in subsection (c), by striking ``To be designated a 
        landscape-scale area under subsection (b), the area shall be'' 
        and inserting ``The Secretary concerned may only carry out 
        projects under subsection (b) in a qualified forest that is''; 
        and
            (5) in subsection (d)(1), by striking ``on Federal land in 
        the areas designated''.
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