What This Bill Does
This bill requires the Secretary of Agriculture to create a special group called a blue ribbon panel to examine how the Forest Service runs its forest inventory and analysis program. The panel will study the program's past progress, current priorities and future needs, then report back to Congress.
Who It Affects
The Secretary of Agriculture, the National Association of State Foresters, members of the blue ribbon panel, the Secretary of the Interior, and Congress all play a role in this bill.
Key Provisions
• The Secretary of Agriculture must form a blue ribbon panel within 90 days to review the forest inventory and analysis program, which tracks information about forests (Sec. 3(f)(1))
• The panel must have between 10 and 20 members who are leaders from state and federal agencies, universities, businesses and nonprofit organizations with knowledge of forest measurement, inventory and technology like remote sensing (the ability to gather information about something from a distance) (Sec. 3(f)(2))
• The panel must review how the program tracks forest carbon, climate change, forest health and sustainable wood products, including whether it should use newer technology and create more partnerships between government, private companies and universities (Sec. 3(f)(3))
• The panel must submit a written report to the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of the Interior and Congress by a specific deadline (Sec. 3(f)(3)(C))
• Panel members serve without pay, and the panel is exempt from the Federal Advisory Committee Act (a law that governs how government advisory groups operate) (Sec. 3(f)(4))
What Changes
The Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Research Act of 1978 is amended to add the requirement that this blue ribbon panel be created and conduct its review.
Important Definitions
The bill does not provide explicit definitions of key terms.
Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
II
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 433
To require the Secretary of Agriculture to convene a blue ribbon panel
to review the forest inventory and analysis program of the Forest Service,
and for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
FEBRUARY 15, 2023
Mr. KING (for himself and Mr. WICKER) introduced the following bill; which
was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition,
and Forestry
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Agriculture to convene a blue
ribbon panel to review the forest inventory and analysis
program of the Forest Service, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. FOREST INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS PROGRAM
3
BLUE RIBBON PANEL.
4
Section 3 of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable
5
Resources Research Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 1642) is
6
amended by adding at the end the following:
7
‘‘(f) FOREST INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS PROGRAM
8
BLUE RIBBON PANEL.—
9
VerDate Sep 11 2014
03:01 Mar 03, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\S433.IS
S433
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
2
•S 433 IS
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days
1
after the date of enactment of this subsection, the
2
Secretary, in consultation with the National Associa-
3
tion of State Foresters, shall convene a blue ribbon
4
panel (referred to in this subsection as the ‘Panel’)
5
to review the forest inventory and analysis program
6
established under this section (referred to in this
7
subsection as the ‘program’).
8
‘‘(2) COMPOSITION.—
9
‘‘(A) NUMBER.—The Panel shall be com-
10
posed of not fewer than 10, and not more than
11
20, members.
12
‘‘(B) MEMBERS.—Members of the Panel
13
shall—
14
‘‘(i) include recognized national lead-
15
ers from across State and Federal agen-
16
cies, universities, industry, and nongovern-
17
mental organizations; and
18
‘‘(ii) have knowledge of and expertise
19
in forest biometrics, inventory, and remote
20
sensing technology.
21
‘‘(3) DUTIES.—
22
‘‘(A) REVIEW.—The Panel shall conduct a
23
review of the past progress, current priorities,
24
and future needs of the program with respect to
25
VerDate Sep 11 2014
03:01 Mar 03, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\S433.IS
S433
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
3
•S 433 IS
national monitoring of forest carbon, climate
1
change, forest health, and sustainable wood
2
products.
3
‘‘(B) CONSIDERATIONS.—The review under
4
subparagraph (A) shall include consideration
5
of—
6
‘‘(i) the modernization of the pro-
7
gram—
8
‘‘(I) broadly; and
9
‘‘(II) specifically relating to the
10
integration of advanced remote sens-
11
ing technologies and methods such as
12
small area estimation; and
13
‘‘(ii) the possibility of more public-pri-
14
vate-academic partnerships under the pro-
15
gram to help meet the goals of the pro-
16
gram and external needs, particularly re-
17
lating to research priorities, operational
18
implementation of current or ongoing
19
science, and decision support.
20
‘‘(C) REPORT.—Not later than March 31,
21
2024, the Panel shall submit to the Secretary,
22
the Secretary of the Interior, and Congress a
23
report describing the review conducted under
24
subparagraph (A).
25
VerDate Sep 11 2014
03:01 Mar 03, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\S433.IS
S433
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
4
•S 433 IS
‘‘(4) ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS.—
1
‘‘(A) CHAIRPERSON
AND
VICE
CHAIR-
2
PERSON.—The Panel shall select a Chairperson
3
and Vice Chairperson from among the non-
4
governmental members of the Panel.
5
‘‘(B) COMMITTEES.—The Panel may es-
6
tablish 1 or more committees within the Panel
7
as the Panel determines to be appropriate.
8
‘‘(C) COMPENSATION.—A member of the
9
Panel shall serve without compensation.
10
‘‘(D)
ADMINISTRATIVE
SUPPORT.—The
11
Secretary shall provide such administrative sup-
12
port as is necessary for the Panel to carry out
13
its duties.
14
‘‘(E) FEDERAL
ADVISORY
COMMITTEE
15
ACT.—The Panel shall be exempt from chapter
16
10 of title 5, United States Code (commonly re-
17
ferred to as the ‘Federal Advisory Committee
18
Act’).’’.
19
Æ
VerDate Sep 11 2014
03:01 Mar 03, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\S433.IS
S433
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS