S.Amdt. 2538

SA 2538. Mr. BINGAMAN (for himself, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Risch, Mr. Baucus, Ms. Murkowski, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Udall of Colorado, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Udall of New Mexico, Mr. Begich, Mr. Merkley, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Tester, and Mrs. Boxer) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill H.R. 2996, making appropriations for the Department of the Interior, environment, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

Beginning on page 197, strike line 3 and all that follows through page 200, line 13, and insert the following:

wildland fire management

(including transfers of funds)

For necessary expenses for forest fire presuppression activities on National Forest System lands, for emergency fire suppression on or adjacent to such lands or other lands under fire protection agreement, hazardous fuels reduction on or adjacent to such lands, and for emergency rehabilitation of burned-over National Forest System lands and water, $2,576,637,000, to remain available until expended: Provided, That such funds including unobligated balances under this heading, are available for repayment of advances from other appropriations accounts previously transferred for such purposes: Provided further, That such funds shall be available to reimburse State and other cooperating entities for services provided in response to wildfire and other emergencies or disasters to the extent such reimbursements by the Forest Service for non-fire emergencies are fully repaid by the responsible emergency management agency: Provided further, That, notwithstanding any other provision of law, $8,000,000 of funds appropriated under this appropriation shall be used for Fire Science Research in support of the Joint Fire Science Program: Provided further, That all authorities for the use of funds, including the use of contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements, available to execute the Forest and Rangeland Research appropriation, are also available in the utilization of these funds for Fire Science Research: Provided further, That funds provided shall be available for emergency rehabilitation and restoration, hazardous fuels reduction activities in the urban-wildland interface, support to Federal emergency response, and wildfire suppression activities of the Forest Service: Provided further, That of the funds provided, $340,285,000 is for hazardous fuels reduction activities, $11,500,000 is for rehabilitation and restoration, $23,917,000 is for research activities and to make competitive research grants pursuant to the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Research Act, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1641 et seq.), $56,250,000 is for State fire assistance, $9,000,000 is for volunteer fire assistance, $17,252,000 is for forest health activities on Federal lands and $9,928,000 is for forest health activities on State and private lands: Provided further, That amounts in this paragraph may be transferred to the “State and Private Forestry”, “National Forest System”, and “Forest and Rangeland Research” accounts to fund State fire assistance, volunteer fire assistance, forest health management, forest and rangeland research, the Joint Fire Science Program, vegetation and watershed management, heritage site rehabilitation, and wildlife and fish habitat management and restoration: Provided further, That up to $15,000,000 of the funds provided under this heading for hazardous fuels treatments may be transferred to and made a part of the “National Forest System” account at the sole discretion of the Chief of the Forest Service 30 days after notifying the House and the Senate Committees on Appropriations: Provided further, That the costs of implementing any cooperative agreement between the Federal Government and any non-Federal entity may be shared, as mutually agreed on by the affected parties: Provided further, That in addition to funds provided for State Fire Assistance programs, and subject to all authorities available to the Forest Service under the State and Private Forestry Appropriation, up to $15,000,000 may be used on adjacent non-Federal lands for the purpose of protecting communities when hazard reduction activities are planned on national forest lands that have the potential to place such communities at risk: Provided further, That funds made available to implement the Community Forest Restoration Act, Public Law 106-393, title VI, shall be available for use on non-Federal lands in accordance with authorities available to the Forest Service under the State and Private Forestry Appropriation: Provided further, That the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture may authorize the transfer of funds appropriated for wildland fire management, in an aggregate amount not to exceed $10,000,000, between the Departments when such transfers would facilitate and expedite jointly funded wildland fire management programs and projects: Provided further, That of the funds provided for hazardous fuels reduction, not to exceed $10,000,000, may be used to make grants, using any authorities available to the Forest Service under the State and Private Forestry appropriation, for the purpose of creating incentives for increased use of biomass from national forest lands: Provided further, That funds designated for wildfire suppression shall be assessed for cost pools on the same basis as such assessments are calculated against other agency programs.

collaborative forest landscape restoration fund

For expenses authorized by section 4003(f) of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (16 U.S.C. 7303(f)), $10,000,000, to remain available until expended.