URGENT CALL TO ACTION!!! There is no need to rehash what the West has suffered in terms of forest fires in the past several years. There is no need to rehash blame. The fact of the matter is that there is an opportunity address the situation into the future TOMMOROW!!! HR 1345, the Catastrophic Wildlife Prevention Act of 2013 sponsored by Congressman Paul Gosar (AZ), has passed the U.S. House and is now working its’ way through the U.S. Senate. The Senate version S. 1479 sponsored by Senator Mike Lee (UT). There will be a hearing on S 1479 TOMORROW at 1:30 MST. Please call the following Senators and ask them to support the measure in the Subcommittee. (Obviously, the sponsor and co-sponsors support the bill. If you want to call them and say thank you… that would be great!) The hearing agenda is below along with a description of what the bill does. • Senator Joe Manchin (Chairman) - (202) 224-3954 • Senator Tim Johnson (D, SD) - (202) 224-5842 • Senator Mary L. Landrieu (D, LA) -(202) 224-5824 • Senator Maria Cantwell (D, WA) - (202) 224-3441 • Senator Mark Udall (D, CO) - (202) 224-5941 • Senator Al Franken (D, MN) - (202) 224-5641 • Senator Brian Schatz (D, HI) - (202) 224-3934 • Senator Martin Heinrich (D, NM) – (202) 224-5521 • Senator Tammy Baldwin (D, WI) - (202) 224-5653 • Senator John Barrasso (R, WY) – (202) 224-6441* co-sponsor of the bill • Senator James E. Risch (R, ID) - (202) 224-2752 • Senator Mike Lee (R, UT) - (202) 224-3954* sponsor of the bill • Senator Dean Heller (R, NV) -(202) 224-6244 • Senator Jeff Flake (R, AZ) - (202) 224-4521* co-sponsor of the bill • Senator Tim Scott (R, SC) - (202) 224-6121 • Senator Lamar Alexander (R, TN) - (202) 224-4944 • Senator John Hoeven (R, ND) - (202) 224-2551 Ex Official Subcommittee Members • Senator Ron Wyden (D, OR) - (202) 224-5244 • Senator Lisa Murkowski (R, AK) -(202) 224-6665 Nov 20 2013 PUBLIC LANDS, FORESTS, AND MINING SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING: Misc. Public Lands Bills SD-366 Senate Dirksen Building 03:30 PM The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on the following bills: • S. 182, to provide for the unencumbering of title to non-Federal land owned by the city of Anchorage, Alaska, for purposes of economic development by conveyance of the Federal reversion interest to the City • S. 339, to facilitate the efficient extraction of mineral resources in southeast Arizona by authorizing and directing an exchange of Federal and non-Federal land, and for other purposes • S. 483, to designate the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Conservation Area in the State of California, and for other purposes • S. 771, to provide to the Secretary of the Interior a mechanism to cancel contracts for the sale of materials CA-20139 and CA-22901, and for other purposes • S. 776, to establish the Columbine-Hondo Wilderness in the State of New Mexico, to provide for the conveyance of certain parcels of National Forest System land in the State, and for other purposes • S. 841, to designate certain Federal land in the San Juan National Forest in the State of Colorado as wilderness, and for other purposes • S. 1305, to provide for the conveyance of the Forest Service Lake Hill Administrative Site in Summit County, Colorado • S. 1341, to modify the Forest Service Recreation Residence Program as the program applies to units of the National Forest System derived from the public domain by implementing a simple, equitable, and predictable procedure for determining cabin user fees, and for other purposes • S. 1414, to provide for the conveyance of certain Federal land in the State of Oregon to the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians • S. 1415, to provide for the conveyance of certain Federal land in the State of Oregon to the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians • S. 1479, to address the forest health, public safety, and wildlife habitat threat presented by the risk of wildfire, including catastrophic wildfire, on National Forest System land and public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management by requiring the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to expedite forest management projects relating to hazardous fuels reduction, forest health, and economic development, and for other purposes The hearing will be webcast live on the committees website, and an archived video will be available shortly after the hearing is complete. Witness testimony will be available on the website at the start of the hearing. Catastrophic Wildfire Prevention Act of 2013 - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA), with respect to National Forest System lands, and the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to public lands, to implement authorized wildfire prevention projects in at-risk forests and on threatened and endangered species habitat in a manner that focuses on surface, ladder, and canopy fuels reduction activities. Requires projects carried out on threatened and endangered species habitat to: (1) provide enhanced protection from wildfire, including catastrophic wildfire, for the endangered species, threatened species, or their habitat; and (2) comply with applicable recovery plan guidelines. Requires projects carried out in at-risk forests to move the federal land from condition class II or III toward condition class I, as those classes were developed by the Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station in a specified general technical report. Permits use in a project of: (1) domestic livestock grazing to reduce surface fuel loads and to recover burned areas; and (2) timber harvesting and thinning to reduce ladder and canopy fuel loads for the prevention of wildfire, including catastrophic wildfires. Directs the Secretaries to review public petitions for, and make determinations with respect to, the designation of federal lands as at-risk forests or as threatened and endangered species habitats. Requires notice in the Federal Register of proposed projects and final designated projects and permits public comment on projects as specified. Instructs the Secretaries to prepare an environmental assessment for projects that include timber harvesting or grazing. Instructs the Secretaries to research what impact any listing of a species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 would have on both forage and timber forest fuel loads. Requires endangered species recovery plans and critical habitat determinations to include a wildfire risk assessment analysis. Caren Cowan Executive Director New Mexico Cattle Growers Association POB 7517 Albuqueque NM 87194 505.247.0584 office 505.842.1766 fax [email protected] nmagriculture.org You can become a member of the New Mexico Cattle Growers Associaton NOW by visiting nmagriculture.org !
Posted on: Wed, 20 Nov 2013 00:44:37 +0000
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