Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

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By Mr. CRAPO (for himself and Mrs. LINCOLN):

S. 2676. A bill to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into partnership agreements with entities and local communities to encourage greater cooperation in the administration of Forest Service activities on the near National Forest System land, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, last August I participated in the White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation. The conference reinforced that conservation success can be achieved by collaboration. Many of the advancements in conservation result from the commitment of individuals to work together and with local and Federal agencies. Cooperative conservation requires cooperative legislation.

That is why I rise to introduce the Forest Service Partnership Act, which will enhance the ability of the Forest Service to work cooperatively with local communities. Unfortunately, the authorities for the Forest Service to work jointly with others are a complex patchwork of temporary authorities, which have resulted in differing interpretations and lengthy procedures. Additionally, the existing authorities need enhancements to accommodate today's resources conservation needs and allow for the delivery of a range of visitor services and interpretive and educational materials.

The Forest Service Partnership Enhancement Act will better enable cooperative work with the Forest Service by consolidating and providing permanent authority for mutually-beneficial agreements with the Forest Service. The legislation would also enable visitors to purchase health and safety items in remote Forest Service locations and permit joint facilities and publications, which benefit the public.

In fiscal year 2005 alone, the Forest Service entered into more than 3,000 cooperative agreements that would be permanently authorized through this legislation. These agreements leveraged $37.3 million in Federal funds with $32.8 million in private contributions for a total of more than $70 million worth of mutually-beneficial collaborative successes. In my home State of Idaho, the Forest Service entered into a public-private partnership for the construction of 1900 feet of new channel and associated flood plain on Granite Creek. This project restores habitat connectivity to approximately 6 miles of stream. The cooperative work of the Forest Service, Avista Utilities, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and 15 volunteers from Trout Unlimited enabled the leveraging of $60,000 of Forest Service funds with $120,000 from the participating partners.

Collaboration is necessary to bring lasting conservation success. The Forest Service Partnership Act would enhance the ability of the Forest Service to partner with other Federal agencies, local communities, tribal governments, and other interested parties, and I encourage the commitment to collaborative conservation by supporting this legislation.

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