Forestry Initiative to Restore the Environment Act of 1999 (Introduced
in the Senate)
S 868 IS
106th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 868
To make forestry insurance plans available to owners and operators of
private forest land, to encourage the use of prescribed burning and fuel
treatment methods on private forest land, and for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 22, 1999
Mr. GRAHAM (for himself and Mr. MACK) introduced the following bill; which
was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition,
and Forestry
A BILL
To make forestry insurance plans available to owners and operators of
private forest land, to encourage the use of prescribed burning and fuel
treatment methods on private forest land, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Forestry Initiative to Restore the Environment
Act of 1999'.
SEC. 2. FORESTRY INSURANCE.
(a) IN GENERAL- Section 508 of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C.
1508) is amended in subsections (l) and (m)(2) by inserting after `generally
available from private companies' each place it appears the following:
`in a State or area at rates and terms that are normal for privately underwritten
policies, as determined by the Corporation'.
(b) PILOT PROGRAM- Section 508 of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7
U.S.C. 1508) is amended by adding at the end the following:
`(o) FORESTRY INSURANCE PILOT PROGRAM- The Corporation shall conduct
a pilot program in at least 4 States under which the Corporation shall
offer forestry insurance plans to indemnify owners and operators of private
forest land that is used to produce a variety of types of timber for loss
of yield or prevented planting due to drought, flood, or other natural
disaster (as determined by the Secretary), with an emphasis on small, nonindustrial
owners and operators of private forest land.'.
SEC. 3. FORESTRY INCENTIVES PROGRAM.
Section 4(a) of the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 (16
U.S.C. 2103(a)) is amended in the second sentence by inserting `increased
seedling production capacity,' after `prescribed burning,'.
SEC. 4. RURAL FIRE PREVENTION AND CONTROL.
(a) IN GENERAL- Section 10(b) of the Cooperative Forestry Assistance
Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2106(b)) is amended--
(1) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following:
`(2) provide financial, technical, and related assistance to State
foresters or equivalent State officials, and through them to other agencies
and individuals, for the prescribed use of burning on private forest land
for the prevention, control, and suppression of fire, including providing
grants to pay up to 75 percent of the cost of carrying out the burning';
(2) in paragraph (3), by striking `and' after the semicolon;
(3) in paragraph (4), by striking the period at the end and inserting
`; and'; and
(4) by adding at the end the following:
`(5) develop, in cooperation with the Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency, educational and outreach programs and materials on prescribed
use of burning for the prevention, control, and suppression of fire.'.
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- Section 10(e) of the Cooperative
Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2106(e)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking `, (2),';
(2) by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph (3); and
(3) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following:
`(2) PRESCRIBED BURNING- There are authorized to be appropriated to
carry out subsection (b)(2) $10,000,000 for each fiscal year.'.