S.Amdt. 3907

SA 3907. Mr. MERKLEY (for himself and Mr. Sheehy) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 3748 proposed by Mr.
Wicker (for himself and Mr. Reed) to the bill S. 2296, to authorize
appropriations for fiscal year 2026 for military activities of the
Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense
activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel
strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the end of subtitle F of title X, add the following:

SEC. 1067. TIMBER PRODUCTION EXPANSION GUARANTEED LOAN
PROGRAM.

(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means an
individual or entity that

[[Page S6776]]

owns or operates a sawmill or other wood-processing facility
located in a rural area (as defined in section 343(a) of the
Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C.
1991(a))) of the United States.
(2) Eligible federal land.--The term ``eligible Federal
land'' means any unit of Federal land, including Indian
forest land or rangeland, that has been identified by the
Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary of the
Interior, as high or very high priority for ecological
restoration involving vegetation removal under subsection
(b).
(3) Program.--The term ``Program'' means the Timber
Production Expansion Guaranteed Loan Program of the
Department of Agriculture.
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Agriculture.
(b) Identification of Eligible Federal Land.--Not later
than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, and not
less frequently than once every 5 years thereafter, the
Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary of the
Interior, shall--
(1) review Federal land under the jurisdiction of the
Secretary or the Secretary of the Interior; and
(2) identify units of Federal land that, as determined by
the Secretaries, are high or very high priority for
ecological restoration involving vegetation removal.
(c) Loan Guarantees.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary, in coordination with the
Secretary of the Interior, shall provide loan guarantees
under the Program to eligible entities seeking to establish,
reopen, retrofit, expand, or improve a sawmill or other wood-
processing facility located within a 250-mile radius of, a
unit of eligible Federal land, if the presence of a sawmill
or other wood-processing facility would, or does,
substantially decrease the cost of conducting ecological
restoration projects involving vegetation removal on the
eligible Federal land, as determined by the Secretary, in
coordination with the Secretary of the Interior.
(2) Conditions.--A loan guarantee under the Program shall
be provided in accordance with such conditions as the
Secretary determines to be necessary.
(3) Maximum amount.--The Secretary may provide a total of
not more than $220,000,000 in loan guarantees under the
Program.
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