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US S816

US S816
A bill to amend the Coquille Restoration Act to clarify certain provisions relating to the management of the Coquille Forest.


summary

Introduced
03/19/2015
In Committee
03/19/2015
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
01/03/2017

Introduced Session

114th Congress

Bill Summary

A bill to amend the Coquille Restoration Act to clarify certain provisions relating to the management of the Coquille Forest. Amends the Coquille Restoration Act to require the Department of the Interior to manage the Coquille Forest in accordance with the laws pertaining to the management of Indian trust land. (Currently, Interior is also required to manage the Forest under applicable state and federal forestry and environmental protection laws, and subject to critical habitat designations under the Endangered Species Act and the standards and guidelines of federal forest plans on adjacent or nearby federal lands.) Continues to apply: (1) federal law relating to the export of unprocessed logs harvested from federal land to any unprocessed logs that are harvested from the Forest, and (2) competitive bidding requirements to sales of timber from the Forest. Removes a provision: (1) giving the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon jurisdiction over certain actions concerning the placement of lands in Coos County and Curry County, Oregon, into trust for the Coquille Tribe and the management of the Coquille Forest; and (2) limiting available remedies to equitable relief, unless otherwise provided for by law.

AI Summary

This bill amends the Coquille Restoration Act to change how the Coquille Forest is managed. Specifically, it requires the Department of the Interior, which oversees federal lands and programs for Native American tribes, to manage the Coquille Forest according to laws that apply to Indian trust land, which is land held by the federal government for the benefit of tribes. This means that some existing requirements for managing the forest, such as adhering to state and federal forestry and environmental laws, and considering endangered species and federal forest plans, will no longer apply. However, the bill maintains existing federal laws that restrict the export of unprocessed logs from federal land to any logs harvested from the Coquille Forest, and it continues to require that timber sales from the forest be awarded through competitive bidding to the highest responsible bidder. Additionally, this bill removes a provision that gave the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon jurisdiction over certain legal actions related to placing lands into trust for the Coquille Tribe and managing the Coquille Forest, and it also removes limitations on the types of legal remedies available in such cases.

Committee Categories

Agriculture and Natural Resources

Sponsors (2)

Last Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S1664; text of measure as introduced: CR S1665-1666) (on 03/19/2015)

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