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Wildfires Spur Passage of ‘Healthy Forests’ Bill in the Senate

Based on President Bush’s “Healthy Forests” legislation, which passed the House in July as H.R. 1904, the measure would take important steps toward reducing the build-up of hazardous fuels in certain areas of the national forests and lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management. The aim of the bill is to reduce catastrophic wildfire threats to communities and the environment.

The “Healthy Forests Restoration Act,” a bipartisan compromise which passed the Senate by a 80-14 vote, would ease the rules for logging on public lands while providing safeguards to protect old-growth trees in forest thinning projects.

The measure would require half of the funds for thinning operations to be used near populated areas, and would limit preliminary court injunctions against logging projects to 60 days, compared to 45 days in the House bill.

The Senate bill would authorize $760 million annually for forest-thinning projects, more than double current expenditures. The House bill does not specify an amount.

Highlands Conservation

Also of note to home builders, the legislation includes an amendment introduced by Sen. Jon Corzine (D-NJ) that would establish a “highlands conservation area” spanning parts of  New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. 

This provision is identical to H.R. 1964, the “Highlands Stewardship Act,”  which passed the House Resources Committee on Oct. 29. Sen. Corzine’s measure reflects the compromise language agreed to by NAHB and Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), the House sponsor of the highlands bill.

Under the original House bill, a federal Office of Highlands Stewardship and Highlands Working Group would have been created and granted the authority to approve and dispense land preservation grants for the region.

The new legislative language would dispense with those entities and limit land preservation efforts to the most appropriate areas within the region.

The bill proposes an annual $1 million authorization for funding for 10 years. 

The legislation now goes to a conference report with the House. The White House has indicated that it supports both bills.

To read the entire bill, click here and enter H.R. 1904 in the box at the upper left.

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