16 USC § 3831a - Emergency forestry conservation reserve program

(a) Definitions

In this section:

(1) Merchantable timber

The term “merchantable timber” means timber on private nonindustrial forest land on which the average tree has a trunk diameter of at least 6 inches measured at a point no less than 4.5 feet above the ground.

(2) Private nonindustrial forest land

The term “private nonindustrial forest land” includes State school trust land.

(b) Program

The Secretary shall carry out an emergency pilot program in States that the Secretary determines have suffered damage to merchantable timber in counties affected by hurricanes during the 2005 calendar year.

(c) Eligible acreage

(1) In general

Subject to paragraph (2) and the availability of funds under paragraph (7), an owner or operator may enroll private nonindustrial forest land in the conservation reserve under this section.

(2) Determination of damages

Eligibility for enrollment shall be limited to owners and operators of private nonindustrial forest land that have experienced a loss of 35 percent or more of merchantable timber in a county affected by hurricanes during the 2005 calendar year.

(3) Exemptions

Acreage enrolled in the conservation reserve under this section shall not count toward—

(A) county acreage limitations described in section 3843 (b)  ^[1] of this title; or

(B) the maximum enrollment described in section 3831 (d) of this title.

(4) Duties of owners and operators

As a condition of entering into a contract under this section, during the term of the contract, the owner or operator of private nonindustrial forest land shall agree—

(A) to restore the land, through site preparation and planting of similar species as existing prior to hurricane damages or to the maximum extent practicable with other native species, as determined by the Secretary; and

(B) to establish temporary vegetative cover the purpose of which is to prevent soil erosion on the eligible acreage, as determined by the Secretary.

(5) Duties of the Secretary

(A) In general

In return for a contract entered into by an owner or operator of private nonindustrial forest land under this section, the Secretary shall provide, at the option of the landowner—

(i) notwithstanding the limitation in section 3834 (f)(1) of this title, a lump sum payment; or

(ii) annual rental payments.

(B) Calculation of lump sum payment

The lump sum payment described in subparagraph (A)(i) shall be calculated using a net present value formula, as determined by the Secretary, based on the total amount a producer would receive over the duration of the contract.

(C) Calculation of annual rental payments

The annual rental payment described in subparagraph (A)(ii) shall be equal to the average rental rate for conservation reserve contracts in the county in which the land is located.

(D) Rolling signup

The Secretary shall offer a rolling signup for contracts under this section.

(E) Duration of contracts

A contract entered into under this section shall have a term of 10 years.

(6) Balance of natural resources

In determining the acceptability of contract offers under this section, the Secretary shall consider an equitable balance among the purposes of soil erosion prevention, water quality improvement, wildlife habitat restoration, and mitigation of economic loss.

(7) Funding

The Secretary shall use $504,100,000, to remain available until expended, of funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation to carry out this section.

(8) Determinations by Secretary

A determination made by the Secretary under this section shall be final and conclusive.

(9) Regulations

(A) In general

Not later than 90 days after December 30, 2005, the Secretary shall promulgate such regulations as are necessary to implement this section.

(B) Procedure

The promulgation of regulations and administration of this section shall be made without regard to—

(i) the notice and comment provisions of section 553 of title 5;

(ii) the Statement of Policy of the Secretary of Agriculture effective July 24, 1971 (36 Fed. Reg. 13804), relating to notices of proposed rulemaking and public participation in rulemaking; and

(iii) chapter 35 of title 44 (commonly known as the “Paperwork Reduction Act”).

(C) Congressional review of agency rulemaking

In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall use the authority provided under section 808 of title 5.

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[1]  See References in Text note below.

Source

(Pub. L. 99–198, title XII, § 1231A, as added and amended Pub. L. 110–234, title II, § 2106(b),May 22, 2008, 122 Stat. 1032, and Pub. L. 110–246, § 4(a), title II, § 2106(b),June 18, 2008, 122 Stat. 1664, 1760.)

References in Text

Section 3843 of this title, referred to in subsec. (c)(3)(A), was amended generally by Pub. L. 110–246, title II, § 2707(b),June 18, 2008, 122 Stat. 1805, and, as so amended, no longer contains provisions relating to county acreage limitations.

Codification

December 30, 2005, referred to in subsec. (c)(9)(A), was in the original “the date of enactment of this Act”, which was translated as meaning the date of enactment of Pub. L. 109–148, which enacted subsec. (k) ofsection 3831 of this title (now this section), to reflect the probable intent of Congress.

Pub. L. 110–234and Pub. L. 110–246both renumbered section 1231(k) ofPub. L. 99–198as section 1231A ofPub. L. 99–198and made identical amendments to such section. Pub. L. 110–234was repealed by section 4(a) ofPub. L. 110–246.

Section 3831 (k) of this title, which was transferred and redesignated as this section and amended by Pub. L. 110–246, § 2106(b), was based on Pub. L. 99–198, title XII, § 1231(k), as added Pub. L. 109–148, div. B, title I, § 107(a),Dec. 30, 2005, 119 Stat. 2750; amended Pub. L. 109–234, title III, § 3022,June 15, 2006, 120 Stat. 478; Pub. L. 110–28, title IV, § 4101,May 25, 2007, 121 Stat. 152.

Amendments

2008—Pub. L. 110–246, § 2106(b), transferred section 3831 (k) of this title to this section, substituted “this section” for “this subsection” wherever appearing, redesignated pars. (1) to (3) as subsecs. (a) to (c), respectively, in subsec. (a) redesignated subpars. (A) and (B) as pars. (1) and (2), respectively, in subsec. (c) redesignated subpars. (A) to (I) as pars. (1) to (9), respectively, in par. (1) substituted “paragraph (2)” for “subparagraph (B)” and “paragraph (7)” for “subparagraph (G)”, in pars. (3) and (4) redesignated cls. (i) and (ii) as subpars. (A) and (B), respectively, in par. (3)(B) substituted “section 3831 (d) of this title” for “subsection (d) of this section”, in par. (5) redesignated cls. (i) to (v) as subpars. (A) to (E), respectively, in subpar. (A) redesignated subcls. (I) and (II) as cls. (i) and (ii), respectively, in subpar. (B) substituted “subparagraph (A)(i)” for “clause (i)(I)”, in subpar. (C) substituted “subparagraph (A)(ii)” for “clause (i)(II)”, in par. (9) redesignated cls. (i) to (iii) as subpars. (A) to (C), respectively, and in subpar. (B) redesignated subcls. (I) to (III) as cls. (i) to (iii), respectively. See Codification note above.

Effective Date of 2008 Amendment

Amendment of this section and repeal of Pub. L. 110–234by Pub. L. 110–246effective May 22, 2008, the date of enactment of Pub. L. 110–234, see section 4 ofPub. L. 110–246, set out as an Effective Date note under section 8701 of Title 7, Agriculture.