National and Local Organizations Support Committee Efforts to Create Jobs and Restore Healthy Forest Management
	WASHINGTON, D.C., February 16, 2012 - Today, the Committee will mark up H.R. 4019, the Federal Forest County Revenue, Schools and Jobs Act of 2012, a long-term solution that would provide rural counties with a stable revenue stream, create jobs and grow rural economies.
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	Senate Dems take aim at Republicans over boiler rules
	Top Senate Democrats took aim at Republicans Tuesday for trying to weaken Environmental Protection Agency boiler pollution regulations as part of a broad package to extend the payroll tax cut. Democrats said the GOP push for inclusions of the measure de....
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	New Forest Planning Rule Seeks to Restore the Nation's Forest through Science and Collaboration
	WASHINGTON, Jan. 26, 2012 —Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today signaled the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s intent to issue a new planning rule for America’s 193-million acre National Forest System that seeks to deliver stronger protections for forests, water, and wildlife while supporting the economic vitality of our rural communities, by releasing online a Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for the National Forest System Land Management Planning Rule. Today’s action honors the commitment made by Secretary Vilsack in his 2009 speech on forest management, and by the President in the America’s Great Outdoors Report. USDA and the Forest Service carefully considered nearly 300,000 comments received on the proposed rule and draft environmental impact statement issued last February, to develop the agency’s preferred course of action for finalizing the planning rule. This is included in the PEIS released today as USDA’s preferred alternative. A notice of availability for the PEIS will be published in the Federal Register on February 3, 2012, and the Secretary will issue a record of decision selecting a final planning rule no less than 30 days afterwards. “The most collaborative rulemaking effort in agency history has resulted in a strong framework to restore and manage our forests and watersheds and help deliver countless benefits to the American people,” said Secretary Vilsack. “Our preferred alternative will safeguard our natural resources and provide a roadmap for getting work done on the ground that will restore our forests while providing job opportunities for local communities.” The preferred alternative emphasizes collaboration and strengthens the role of public involvement and dialogue throughout the planning process. It also would require the use of the best available scientific information to inform decisions. Highlights of the preferred alternative include: •Plans must include components that seek to restore and maintain forests and grasslands. •Plans would include requirements to maintain or restore watersheds, water resources, water quality including clean drinking water, and the ecological integrity of riparian areas. •Plans would be required to provide habitat for plant and animal diversity and species conservation. These requirements are intended to keep common native species common, contribute to the recovery of threatened and endangered species, conserve proposed and candidate species, and protect species of conservation concern. •Plans would provide for multiple uses, including outdoor recreation, range, timber, watershed, wildlife and fish. •Plans would be required to provide opportunities for sustainable recreation, and to take into account opportunities to connect people with nature. •Opportunities for public involvement and collaboration would be required throughout all stages of the planning process. The preferred alternative would provide opportunities for Tribal consultation and coordination with state and local governments and other federal agencies, and includes requirements for outreach to traditionally underrepresented communities. •Plans require the use of the best available scientific information to inform the planning process and documentation of how science was used in the plan. •The planning framework provides a more efficient and adaptive process for land management planning, allowing the Forest Service to respond to changing conditions. “This approach requires plans to conserve and restore watersheds and habitats while strengthening community collaboration during the development and implementation of individual plans,” said U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell. “Under our preferred alternative, plan revisions would take less time, cost less money, and provide stronger protections for our lands and water. Finalizing a new rule will move us forward in managing our forests and grasslands, and will create or sustain jobs and income for local communities around the country.” Continuing the strong emphasis USDA and the Forest Service have placed on public engagement throughout this rule-making effort, USDA is forming a Federal Advisory Committee to advise the Secretary on implementation of the final rule. The call for nominations for this committee was published in the Federal Register on January 5, 2012 and will close on February 21, 2012. "We value the input we have received from the public throughout this process," said Agriculture Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Harris Sherman. "This preferred alternative is a positive framework that will allow the Forest Service to more effectively restore our natural resources, support the economy, and adapt to changing conditions.” The planning rule provides the framework for Forest Service land management plans for the 155 forests, 20 grasslands and 1 prairie in the National Forest System. A final rule, when selected, would update planning procedures that have been in place since 1982, creating a modern planning process that reflects the latest science and knowledge of how to create and implement effective land management plans. Revisions of the land management plans would take less time and cost less money under the preferred alternative than under the current 30-year-old procedures, while achieving better results for people and the environment. The mission of the U.S. Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world. USDA works with state and local governments and private landowners to conserve and protect our nation’s natural resources – helping preserve our land, and clean our air and water. President Obama launched the America’s Great Outdoors initiative in 2010 to foster a 21st century approach to conservation that is designed by and accomplished in partnership with the American people. During the past two years, USDA’s conservation agencies—the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Farm Service Agency—have delivered technical assistance and implemented restoration practices on public and private lands. We are working to better target conservation investments: embracing locally driven conservation and entering partnerships that focus on large, landscape-scale conservation. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).
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	Forest Planning Rule: Forest Service Seeks Nominations for Planning Rule FACA Committee
	Applications to serve on a newly-formed advisory committee to guide management of our national forests and grasslands are now available. Members selected to serve on the National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the National Forest System Land Management Planning Rule will advise and give recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture and the Chief of the U.S. Forest Service. The 45-day nomination period closes Feb. 21, 2012. Additional details on the committee and the application form are available at the U.S Forest Service website or by calling 202-205-0830. Further information is also available in the Federal Register Notice calling for nominations. Note that the nomination period has since been extended to Feb. 21, 2012.) The committee will be comprised of up to 21 members with diverse backgrounds, who represent the full range of public interests in management of the National Forest System lands and who represent geographically diverse locations and communities, within each of the following three categories of interests: Up to seven members who represent one or more of the following: Represent the affected public at-large Hold State-elected office (or designee) Hold county or local elected office Represent American Indian Tribes Represent Youth Up to seven members who represent one or more of the following: National, regional, or local environmental organizations Conservation organizations or watershed associations Dispersed recreation interests Archaeological or historical interests Scientific Community Up to seven members who represent one or more of the following: Timber Industry Grazing or other land use permit holders or other private forest landowners Energy and mineral development Commercial or recreational hunting and fishing interests Developed outdoor recreation, off-highway vehicle users, or commercial recreation interests The committee will provide advice and recommendations on issues such as planning rule directives for implementation, best practices, effective monitoring practices and ongoing collaboration efforts. The announcement of this committee builds on the Agency’s efforts to develop a new Land Management Planning Rule for the National Forest System.
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	Forest Owners Thank Congress for Supporting EPA's Longstanding Interpretation of the Clean Water Act
	WASHINGTON— David P. Tenny, President and CEO of the National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO) released the following statement today in response to congressional action in the Omnibus Appropriations Act, which maintains EPA's longstanding treatment of forest roads as non-point sources under the Clean Water Act: "We thank Congress for taking action to prevent the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals' misinterpretation of the Clean Water Act from taking effect. The 79 bipartisan House and Senate sponsors and cosponsors of the Silviculture Regulatory Consistency Act have joined forest owners in strong support of EPA's historical treatment of forestry and forest roads as non-point sources. Because of their help, the provision in the multi-bill funding measure moves us an important step closer to a permanent repudiation of the Ninth Circuit's overreach. Today's outcome is good for our forests, for clean water and for well-paying rural jobs throughout the country. "This legislation also supports the Supreme Court's decision to seek the federal government's views on whether to review the Ninth Circuit's decision. Today's legislation sends a strong signal that Congress will support the administration in defending EPA's regulations in court. We remain hopeful that the Supreme Court will ultimately reverse the Ninth Circuit and restore the regulations that have been a Clean Water Act success story for more than 35 years." In May of 2011, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a final ruling in NEDC v. Brown overturning EPA's 1976 regulation that treats forestry activities as nonpoint sources under the Clean Water Act. The Court also declared for the first time that forest roads used for timber harvest require industrial permits typically obtained by wastewater treatment facilities, factories and other confined industrial sites. The Silviculture Regulatory Consistency Act (H.R. 2541 and S. 1369), would amend the Clean Water Act to preserve EPA's existing regulations and maintain the non-point source status of forest roads and forestry activities. ### NAFO is an organization of private forest owners committed to advancing federal policies that promote the economic and environmental benefits of privately-owned forests at the national level. NAFO membership encompasses more than 79 million acres of private forestland in 47 states. Working forests in the U.S. support 2.5 million jobs. To see the full economic impact of America's working forests, visit www.nafoalliance.org/economic-impact-report.
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	Forest Owners Applaud Supreme Court on Forest Roads Order
	WASHINGTON— David P. Tenny, President and CEO of the National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO), released the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court issued an order asking the Solicitor General for the views of the federal government on two petitions challenging the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling that forest roads are “point sources” requiring an industrial discharge permit under the Clean Water Act (CWA): “We applaud the Supreme Court for scrutinizing the Ninth Circuit’s decision to disregard EPA’s 35 years of success regulating forest management as a nonpoint source under Clean Water Act. The Court is hearing not only the voice of forest owners and managers across the country but also Attorneys General from 26 states who joined a brief supporting EPA’s historic approach. The policy and legal importance of this case is clear. “For nearly four decades, the EPA has cooperated with the states under established Clean Water Act authority to build a network of Best Management Practices providing flexible and effective water quality protection during forestry operations. This has been a Clean Water Act success story. The Ninth Circuit’s decision threatens to upend this progress by replacing an efficient and flexible system that promotes clean water with a costly and inflexible permit requirement that invites additional litigation. In the end the Ninth Circuit’s decision hurts forest owners and forests alike. “While this is a significant first step, there is no guarantee that the Supreme Court will hear the case and reverse the Ninth Circuit Court’s overstep. It does, however, provide the Administration and the Solicitor General an opportunity to submit to the Supreme Court a clear and unambiguous defense of EPA’s longstanding and legally appropriate approach to regulating forest roads as nonpoint sources.” ### NAFO is an organization of private forest owners committed to advancing federal policies that promote the economic and environmental benefits of privately-owned forests at the national level. NAFO membership encompasses more than 79 million acres of private forestland in 47 states. Working forests in the U.S. support 2.5 million jobs. To see the full economic impact of America’s working forests, visit www.nafoalliance.org/economic-impact-report.
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	Forest Service Timber Sales Contracts on the Internet
	The Forest Service recently posted their timber sale contracts on the internet. They can be found at: http://www.fs.fed.us/forestmanagement/products/contracts.shtml
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