To direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study and develop a plan for the removal of invasive salt cedar.

SA 3869. Mr. McCAIN (for himself and Mr. Flake) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 3801 proposed by Mr.
Alexander (for himself and Mrs. Feinstein) to the bill H.R. 2028,
making appropriations for energy and water development and related
agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2016, and for other
purposes; as follows:

At the end of title II, add the following:
Sec. 2__. (a) The Secretary of the Interior, in
coordination with the Secretary of the Army and the Secretary
of Agriculture, may enter into an agreement with the National
Academy of Sciences under which the National Academy of
Sciences shall conduct a comprehensive study, to be completed
not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this
Act, on the effectiveness and environmental impact of salt
cedar control efforts (including biological control) in
increasing water supplies, restoring riparian habitat, and
improving flood management.
(b) Not later than 1 year after the date of completion of
the study under subsection (a), the Secretary of the
Interior, in coordination with the Secretary of Agriculture,
shall prepare a plan for the removal of salt cedar from all
Federal land in the Lower Colorado River basin based on the
findings and recommendations of the study conducted by the
National Academy of Sciences that includes--
(1) provisions for revegetating Federal land with native
vegetation;
(2) provisions for adapting to the increasing presence of
biological control in the Lower Colorado River basin;
(3) provisions for removing salt cedar from Federal land
during post-wildfire recovery activities;
(4) strategies for developing partnerships with State,
tribal, and local governmental entities in the eradication of
salt cedar; and
(5) budget estimates and completion timelines for the
implementation of plan elements.
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