What This Bill Does
This bill reauthorizes and modifies the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program, which is part of a 2009 federal land management law. The bill makes changes to how the program identifies eligible projects and extends its timeline for operation.
Who It Affects
Federal agencies managing forests, collaborative groups working on forest restoration projects, state and tribal governments, and private landowners involved in forest landscape restoration efforts.
Key Provisions
• The program now considers pathogens in addition to species when identifying forest restoration needs. (Sec. 2)
• Projects must include a Federal Government staffing plan to support collaborative groups working on restoration. (Sec. 2)
• The program will prioritize proposals that use innovative financing methods, including conservation finance agreements and good neighbor agreements. (Sec. 2)
• The program will prioritize proposals that reduce uncharacteristic wildfire risk or increase ecological restoration activities across different types of land ownership and in areas near where people live. (Sec. 2)
• The program will prioritize proposals that improve watershed health and drinking water sources. (Sec. 2)
What Changes
The maximum number of collaborative projects increases from 10 to 20. The maximum number of project proposals the program can fund annually increases from 2 to 4. The program's operating period extends through 2032 instead of ending in 2023.
Important Definitions
The bill defines wildland-urban interface as stated in the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (an area where human development meets undeveloped wildland).
II
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 202
To amend the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to reauthorize
the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program, and for other
purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
FEBRUARY 1, 2023
Mr. MERKLEY (for himself, Mr. CRAPO, Mr. RISCH, Mr. WYDEN, Mr. BEN-
NET, and Mr. TESTER) introduced the following bill; which was read
twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and For-
estry
A BILL
To amend the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of
2009 to reauthorize the Collaborative Forest Landscape
Restoration Program, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Collaborative Forest
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Landscape Restoration Program Reauthorization Act of
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2023’’.
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•S 202 IS
SEC. 2. COLLABORATIVE FOREST LANDSCAPE RESTORA-
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TION PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION.
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Section 4003 of the Omnibus Public Land Manage-
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ment Act of 2009 (16 U.S.C. 7303) is amended—
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(1) in subsection (b)(3)—
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(A) in subparagraph (D), by striking ‘‘spe-
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cies;’’ and inserting ‘‘species or pathogens;’’;
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(B) in subparagraph (G), by striking
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‘‘and’’ at the end;
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(C) in subparagraph (H), by adding ‘‘and’’
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after the semicolon at the end; and
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(D) by adding at the end the following:
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‘‘(I) address standardized monitoring ques-
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tions and indicators;’’;
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(2) in subsection (c)(3)(A)—
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(A) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the
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end;
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(B) in clause (ii), by adding ‘‘and’’ at the
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end; and
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(C) by adding at the end the following:
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‘‘(iii) include a Federal Government
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staffing plan for providing support to
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collaboratives established pursuant to sub-
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section (b)(2);’’;
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(3) in subsection (d)—
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(A) in paragraph (2)—
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•S 202 IS
(i) in subparagraph (E), by striking
1
‘‘and’’ at the end;
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(ii) in subparagraph (F), by striking
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the period at the end and inserting ‘‘;
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and’’; and
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(iii) by adding at the end the fol-
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lowing:
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‘‘(G) proposals that seek to use innovative
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implementation mechanisms, including con-
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servation finance agreements, good neighbor
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agreements entered into under section 8206 of
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the Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C.
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2113a), and similar implementation mecha-
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nisms;
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‘‘(H) proposals that seek to reduce the risk
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of uncharacteristic wildfire or increase ecologi-
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cal restoration activities—
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‘‘(i) within areas across land owner-
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ships, including State, Tribal, and private
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land; and
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‘‘(ii) within the wildland-urban inter-
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face (as defined in section 101 of the
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Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003
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(16 U.S.C. 6511)); and
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•S 202 IS
‘‘(I) proposals that seek to enhance water-
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shed health and drinking water sources.’’; and
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(B) in paragraph (3)—
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(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking
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‘‘10’’ and inserting ‘‘20’’; and
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(ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking
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‘‘2’’ and inserting ‘‘4’’;
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(4) in subsection (e)(3), by inserting ‘‘conflict
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resolution or collaborative governance,’’ before ‘‘and
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woody’’; and
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(5) in subsection (f)—
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(A) in paragraph (4)(B)(ii), by striking
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‘‘$4,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$8,000,000’’; and
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(B) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘2019
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through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2023 through
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2032’’.
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Æ
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