The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands has announced plans to hold a hearing on a draft bill that would attempt to address issues with federal stewardship of National Forests that have been identified through a series of hearings held throughout the year. The draft bill, authored by Subcommittee Chairman Tom McClintock (R-CA), would create new categorical exclusions for activities related to forest restoration projects, and expand current exclusions for salvage projects after large-scale wildfires, among other forest management and fire-related policy changes. Additionally, the draft proposes changes to the Secure Rural Schools program requiring certain percentages of funding to be spent on timber-focused projects. RCRC staff is in the process of reviewing and analyzing the bill and its possible impacts to member counties and will monitor the progress of the draft if it moves forward in the legislative process. The hearing on the draft is scheduled for June 3, 2015, and a markup hearing is predicted for June 8, 2015.
