National Forest Jobs and Management Act of 2014

Summary

National Forest Jobs and Management Act of 2014 - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to conduct projects that involve the management or sale of national forest material (covered projects) within certain National Forest System (NFS) lands (Forest Management Emphasis Areas). Makes timber sale contracts under the National Forest Management Act of 1976 the primary means for carrying out covered projects under this Act. Requires the Secretary to identify, prioritize, and carry out covered projects in Forest Management Emphasis Areas that mechanically treat a total of at least 7.5 million acres in such areas during a specified 15-year period. Requires the Secretary to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) by completing an environmental assessment of the direct environmental effects of each proposed covered project, limited to the proposed agency action and one alternative. Requires administrative review of covered projects to occur only in accordance with the special administrative review process established by the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003. Establishes a pilot program in the USDA that: (1) authorizes the use of arbitration instead of judicial review of a decision made following the special administrative process for a covered project, and (2) shall be the only means to challenge a covered project in a Forest Management Emphasis Area during the 15-year period. Directs the Secretary, for FY2015 and each fiscal year until termination of this Act, to make to each county in which a covered project is carried out annual payments of 25% of the amounts received from that project. Requires the Secretary, after making such payments, to use amounts received from covered projects during such period to make deposits into the fund established under the Knutson-Vandenburg Act and the fund established under the National Forest Management Act of 1976 in contributions equal to the amounts collected under those Acts for projects conducted on NFS lands. Requires the Secretary to develop performance measures that evaluate the degree to which this Act's purposes and the minimum acreage requirements are being achieved.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

1. 28 January 2014

   Introduced

   Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

   Source: IntroReferral

2. 28 January 2014

   Introduced

   Introduced in Senate

   Source: IntroReferral

3. 6 February 2014

   Committee

   Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 113-349.

   Source: Committee

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

• Introduced in Senate · 28 January 2014 · Official file

Documents

3 official files

• Introduced in Senate (text)

  Introduced in Senate · EN · 28 January 2014

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

• Introduced in Senate (PDF)

  Introduced in Senate · EN · 28 January 2014

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

• Introduced in Senate

  summary · EN · 28 January 2014

  Open at official source

Sponsors

• John Barrasso · R · Sponsor
• Sen. Flake, Jeff [R-AZ] · R · Cosponsor
• Sen. Heller, Dean [R-NV] · R · Cosponsor
• · sseg00 · Standing

Related records

• related to ← FLAME Act Amendments Act of 2014