WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. House of Representatives today overwhelmingly passed the bipartisan Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HR 1904), which was co-authored by Congressman Greg Walden (R-OR) and Colorado Congressman Scott McInnis (R-CO). The legislation passed by a vote of 286 to 140, with 70 Democrats supporting the measure.

"Today's vote is a tremendous victory for our forests, watersheds, critical species habitats and rural communities," said Walden. "This legislation represents the most comprehensive improvement of America’s forest management policies in a generation. The Healthy Forests bill will give our professional foresters the tools they need to help prevent catastrophic wildfires and make concrete improvements to forest health across the nation. Considering the many years we have invested in this effort, today's action is truly a watershed moment."

The Healthy Forests bill will speed hazardous fuels reduction projects on federal forests lands by streamlining the environmental review and appeals process. The measure authorizes $760 million in federal funding to conduct forest thinning projects with a concentration on the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI), municipal watersheds and critical species habitat.

The Healthy Forests Restoration Act does the following:

• Expedites treatment of 20 million acres of federal land at high risk of catastrophic wildfire, disease and insect infestation;
• Authorizes $760 million in hazardous fuels reduction projects;
• Requires 50% of treatments be conducted in the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI);
• Streamlines the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by requiring no more than three (3) proposed plans for forest treatment, or "alternatives." For areas within the WUI, two (2) alternatives would be required, and for areas within 1.5 miles of the boundary of an at-risk community only one (1) plan would be required.
  • The Forest Service estimates that 40% of its resources are spent on satisfying procedural requirements.
  • Each additional alternative increases the time needed to review a proposed project by 20%.
  • Federal land managers are often required to complete as many as eight alternatives before initiating a treatment project.
• Requires judges to consider the "balance of harms" on a forest, community or watershed if treatment projects are not implemented, but still affords citizens the right to appeal proposed government actions;
• Repeals Forest Service administrative appeals process for forest treatments authorized by the legislation and directs Forest Service to establish new, streamlined process within 30 days of bill’s signing;
  • A report released in October by the General Accounting Office found that 58% of eligible forest thinning projects in the U.S. were appealed in 2001 and 2002 (194 out of 332 projects), and that 52% of eligible forest thinning projects proposed near communities in the WUI were appealed. The report also found that an overwhelming number of Forest Service appeals were found to be without merit, as 144 of the 197 appeals (73%) were rejected during the same period.
• Includes protection of old-growth timber stands while recognizing the priority of the legislation to combat catastrophic wildfire, disease and insect infestation. Requires national forest managers to update existing old-growth definitions in forests whose management plans are more than 10 years old (most national forests currently have in place old-growth definitions that protect old-growth trees).

HR 1904 passed overwhelmingly in the House on May 20, where it was approved by a vote of 256 to 170 with 42 Democratic supporters. The measure stalled for months before its passage by the Senate in late October. Walden was appointed as a "conferee" by the Speaker of the House to represent the House position in conference negotiations with Senate counterparts over the final version of the bill.

President Bush has signaled his eagerness to sign the measure following its final passage in Congress.

Congressman Walden represents the Second Congressional District of Oregon, which includes the 20 counties of central, southern and eastern Oregon. He is a Deputy Whip and member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Committee on Resources.

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