Rob Bishop: “Section 202(b) of S. 245, the ``Tribal Biomass Demonstration Project Act,'' amends the Tribal Forest Protection Act of…”

“Section 202(b) of S. 245, the ``Tribal Biomass Demonstration Project Act,'' amends the Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004 (TFPA) to include new authority that directs the Secretary (of Agriculture or the Interior) to enter into a minimum number of contracts or agreements with Indian tribes to enable the tribes to carry out various activities on Federal land. Unlike the current TFPA, which is discretionary, the Secretary must enter into agreements with tribes under this new authority. These activities will benefit the Indian tribes that enter into the agreements as well as the surrounding communities, and they will promote healthy forests to stem the plague of wildfires afflicting many Western communities, tribal and non-tribal alike. As an initial matter, Section 202(e) requires the Secretary to consult with tribes and tribal organizations in developing the eligibility criteria and to make the criteria public within 120 days of enactment. It is critical that the Secretary meet this deadline to ensure that tribes are able to submit applications for projects in the remainder of fiscal year 2019. As provided in the bill, in evaluating tribal projects, the Secretary is directed to weigh several factors. Given the severe impact of wildfires over the past decade, the importance of one of the factors, improving the forest health of Federal land, cannot be emphasized enough.…”