Sec. 201. Land use planning; supplements to programmatic environmental impact statements
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The Secretary shall designate a landscape-level area on covered land as a priority area if— the Secretary has identified such area as having a high or very high risk of wildfire; the completion of covered projects in such area would reduce the risk of carbon emissions as a result of wildfire or tree mortality; and the area is covered by an existing programmatic environmental impact statement applicable to such covered projects. The Secretary shall prioritize review under section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of covered projects in a priority area over the completion of any other review under such section.
The Secretary shall establish the priority areas required under paragraph (1)— in the case of priority areas for watershed protection projects, critical infrastructure protection projects, or wildlife habitat restoration projects, not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this section; and in the case of priority areas for wildland-urban interface protection projects, not later than 60 days after the programmatic environmental impact statement required under subsection
(b)is completed. Except with respect to areas subject to review under subparagraph (B), not later than 5 years after the date of the enactment of this section and not less than once every 5 years thereafter, the Secretary shall review the priority areas established under paragraph
(1)and modify, add, or remove such priority areas. Not later than 5 years after the date on which the programmatic environmental impact statement required by subsection
(b)is complete and not less than once every 5 years thereafter, the Secretary shall review the priority areas established under paragraph
(1)and covered by such statement and modify, add, or remove such priority areas. Not later than 5 years after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall complete a programmatic environmental impact statement in accordance with section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 ( 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C) ) for wildland-urban interface protection on public lands, including with respect to— lands classified as high or very high risk of wildfire; and areas with at-risk communities (as defined in section 101 of the Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003 ( 16 U.S.C. 6511 )). The requirements of section 102(2)(C) of National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 ( 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C) with respect to a major Federal action taken under this section shall be deemed to be met— for wildland-urban interface protection projects proposed after the date of completion of the programmatic environmental impact statement required by subsection (b), by supplementing such programmatic environmental impact statement and incorporating relevant additional regional analyses that have been completed by Federal agencies since such statement was finalized; for watershed protection projects, by supplementing the programmatic environmental impact statement entitled National Forest System Land Management Planning published in January 2012 and incorporating relevant additional regional analyses that have been completed by Federal agencies since such statement was finalized; for critical infrastructure protection projects, by supplementing the programmatic environmental impact statement entitled Designation of Energy Corridors on Federal Land in the 11 Western States (DOE/EIS–0386) published on November 28, 2008 and incorporating relevant additional regional analyses that have been completed by Federal agencies since such statement was finalized; and for wildlife habitat restoration projects, by supplementing the programmatic environmental impact statement entitled National Forest System Land Management Planning published in January 2012 and incorporating relevant additional regional analyses that have been completed by Federal agencies since such statement was finalized. In developing a supplement under subparagraphs
(A)through
(D)of paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consult and coordinate with— appropriate State, Tribal, and local governments; transmission infrastructure and water infrastructure owners, operators, and developers; and other appropriate entities. If the Regional Forester determines that a proposed covered project has been sufficiently analyzed by a previously completed programmatic environmental impact statement, such statement shall be deemed to fulfill the requirements of section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 ( 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C) ) with respect to such project. The applicable Regional Forester shall publish any such determinations on a publicly available website. If the Regional Forester determines that a proposed covered project has not been sufficiently analyzed under paragraph
(1)and additional environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 ( 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) is necessary, the applicable Regional Forester shall rely on analysis in previously completed environmental reviews under such Act in analyzing the potential impacts of the proposed covered project. Not later than February 1 of the first fiscal year beginning after the date of the enactment of this section, and each February 1 thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the relevant committees a report that includes— a description, with respect to the preceding year, of the progress of covered projects in priority areas established under this section; and projections for how such covered projects will reduce the risk and severity of carbon emissions from wildfires and tree mortality. In this section: The term covered land means National Forest System lands that are not excluded from forest management activities as a result of— an applicable forest plan; inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System; inclusion within a National or State-specific inventoried roadless area established by the Secretary, unless— the forest management activity to be carried out is consistent with the forest plan applicable to the area; and the Secretary, or their designee, determines the forest management activity is allowed under the roadless rule governing such lands; or any other Federal law. The term covered projects means critical infrastructure protection projects, watershed protection projects, wildland-urban interface protection projects, and wildlife habitat restoration projects. The term critical infrastructure protection project means a forest or rangeland management project with the primary objective of— reducing the risk of wildfire ignition within or adjacent to— a utility infrastructure right-of-way; or public transportation infrastructure; protecting public infrastructure from wildfire; or removing hazard trees and or other hazardous fuels from a utility infrastructure right-of-way. The term relevant committees means— the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate; the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate; the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives; and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives. The term watershed protection project means a forest or rangeland management project with the objective of— protecting a municipal or Tribal water source from damage or destruction caused by wildfire; improving, maintaining, or restoring water quality or yield; or any combination of the purposes specified in subparagraphs
(A)through (B). The term wildland-urban interface protection project means a forest or rangeland management project which takes place within the boundaries of, or adjacent to, an at-risk community (as defined in section 101 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 ( 16 U.S.C. 6511 )). The term wildlife habitat restoration project means a forest or rangeland management project with the primary objective of— protecting, improving, maintaining, or restoring wildlife habitat; or protecting, improving, maintaining, restoring, or enhancing management with respect to critical habitat (as defined in section 4 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 ( 16 U.S.C. 1532 )).
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Sec. 201
Land use planning; supplements to programmatic environmental impact statements
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