From: AgPress [AgPress@mail.house.gov]
Sent: Thursday, November 03, 2005 5:26 PM
To: News Distribution
Subject: FOREST EMERGENCY RECOVERY AND RESEARCH ACT INTRODUCED 

News from the House Agriculture Committee


http://agriculture.house.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                     Media Contact:
November 3, 2005                                                       Alise Kowalski (202) 225-0184

FOREST EMERGENCY RECOVERY AND RESEARCH ACT INTRODUCED Chairman Cosponsors Bill to Expedite Forest Cleanup and Restoration

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today the House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Bob Goodlatte joined nearly 100 members of the U.S. House of Representatives in sponsoring legislation to expedite the cleanup and restoration of federal forests after catastrophic events such as wildfires, hurricanes and windstorms. The "Forest Emergency Recovery and Research Act" (FERRA), H.R. 4200, will allow the Forest Service to move quickly to restore forests damaged by such events.

"In my home state, the gypsy moth defoliated nearly a million acres a year from 1992 to 1994, much of it in the George Washington and Thomas Jefferson National Forests. Hurricane Katrina damaged over 5 million acres of forest land, including more than 382,000 acres of the DeSoto National Forest. Hurricane Hugo inflicted similar damage to the public and private forests of South Carolina. 
Much like the devastating fires that afflict our friends in the West, these events create narrow opportunities to restore and recover healthy, growing forests. Missing these opportunities can have dire environmental consequences," said Chairman Bob Goodlatte at a press conference this morning.

FERRA is modeled after the Healthy Forest Restoration Act, which provides expedited procedures to protect communities from wildfires. Recent hurricane damage in the southeast, fires in the west and other catastrophic events throughout the nation have damaged hundreds of thousands of acres of forest land.  FERRA will ensure that quick action is taken to restore these landscapes and prevent further delays in reforestation.

"Our hope is, by adopting the same bipartisan approach we used in the Healthy Forests Restoration Act, we can show that quick action for forest recovery should be standard policy for our Federal forest managers. The FERRA has a strong research component, and it does not waive a single environmental law. It requires consideration and, if appropriate, implementation of expedited environmental review, to ensure that projects are documented and implemented in a timely fashion," said Chairman Bob Goodlatte.

FERRA provides tools and authorities to federal land managers for the rapid assessment of damage in forestlands following catastrophic events.  If swift restoration work is necessary to restore the health of our nation's forests, expedited - but thorough - environmental review of proposed actions would be performed by the agencies, including full public notice and participation.  Land managers would then be able to engage in active management practices relating to the dead and dying timber left in forests, restoring landscapes, removing excess fuel loads, improving water and air quality, and preventing additional reforestation backlog, estimated in a May 2005 Government Accountability Office report at one million acres.

"Recovering forests quickly after a disaster is common sense. Our bill ensures that the Forest Service will take these common sense measures and back them up with sound science," said Chairman Goodlatte.

FERRA has been referred to the House Committee on Agriculture as well as the House Resources Committee.  The Chairman pledged to hold hearings in the Agriculture Committee and expeditiously move the bill to the House Floor.

An audio clip of Chairman Goodlatte's comments at this morning's press conference is available on the Committee website at http://agriculture.house.gov/press/109/pr051103-2.html.



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The U.S. House Committee on Agriculture web site     http://agriculture.house.gov     has additional information on this and other subjects.

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