NAN A. S. HAYWORTH: “H.R. 108, which amends the Education Land Grant Act to require the Secretary of Agriculture to pay the costs of…”

“H.R. 108, which amends the Education Land Grant Act to require the Secretary of Agriculture to pay the costs of environmental reviews, is an important piece of legislation for many schools, many school districts, but most of all for many students across the United States of America. Currently the new Education Land Grant Act enacted in the 106th Congress allows the Forest Service to convey up to 80 acres of its land to school districts to renovate, expand, or construct school facilities. The act requires that land conveyed is identified for disposal in the particular forest's plan and that the conveyance cost of the survey is borne by the applicant. However, both conveyance of land under this act and the forest plan amendment require an environmental analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act known as NEPA. Presently the Education Land Grant Act and the interim Forest Service manual fail to indicate who bears the cost of the environmental analysis. Madam Speaker, this is the crucial point today.”