H.R. 10000: Emergency Mountain Pine Beetle Response Act

This bill would create a new grant program at the U.S. Forest Service called the Mountain Pine Beetle Response Program. The program would let the Secretary of Agriculture award competitive grants for emergency projects on National Forest System lands that are dealing with mountain pine beetle outbreaks.

What the grants could be used for

The bill says funded projects would be aimed at restoring forest health in areas with significant tree mortality from mountain pine beetles. Eligible activities could include:

• Removing trees killed by beetles or trees made hazardous by infestation
• Processing those trees after removal
• Thinning forests and reducing fuels left by beetle damage to lower fire risk or protect public safety, infrastructure, or watersheds
• Replanting trees and other reforestation work
• Ecological restoration to support biodiversity
• Watershed protection and stabilization, such as slope stabilization, runoff control, erosion mitigation, flood mitigation, and related planning or technical support

Who could apply

To receive a grant, an applicant would have to submit an application in the form and with the information the Secretary requires, including a description of the project.

The bill defines eligible sponsors as:

• State or local governments
• Indian Tribes
• Water management, conservation, or special districts, and public water, wastewater, or stormwater utilities
• Electric utilities, transmitting utilities, transmission organizations, or electrical transmission providers

How projects would be selected

The Secretary of Agriculture would give priority to projects that:

• Protect municipal water supplies and critical infrastructure
• Reduce wildfire risk to communities in the wildland-urban interface
• Focus on areas with major mountain pine beetle outbreaks and high tree loss or poor natural regrowth
• Match a state forest action plan or watershed strategy

How grant money would be paid out

The bill allows the Secretary to pay grant funds before a project is finished, or after it is complete, but requires all funds to be paid within 30 days after the recipient sends written notice that the project is done.

Other details

The bill applies only to projects on National Forest System lands. It also uses existing legal definitions for terms like “Indian Tribe,” “National Forest System,” and “wildland-urban interface.”

Relevant Companies

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