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| Healthy
Forests Intiative Administrative Actions When President Bush launched the Healthy Forests Initiative in August of 2002 he directed Agriculture Secretary Veneman, Interior Secretary Norton and Council on Environmental Quality Chairman Connaughton to improve regulatory processes to ensure more timely decisions, greater efficiency, and better results in reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfires by restoring forest health. Much has been accomplished through administrative actions since August 2002. Listed below are the major administrative actions taken to date to improve regulatory processes. |
| Two new Categorical Exclusions were established for use by the USDA Forest Service and the agencies within the Department of the Interior |
Categorical exclusions are for those categories of activities that normally do not require either an environmental impact statement or an environmental assessment. These two categorical exclusions will facilitate efficient planning and timely decisions concerning the removal of hazardous fuels and stabilization and rehabilitation of areas so as to reduce risks to communities and the environment caused by severe wildfires.
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| Improving Endangered Species Act Process to Expedite Decisions |
| Alternative
Approaches for Streamlining Section 7 The President's Healthy Forest Initiative will implement core components of the National Fire Plan's 10-year Comprehensive Study and Implementation Plan. As part of this initiative, the Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service (Services) have developed guidance to assist in the section 7 consultation analysis for hazardous fuels treatment projects. Under the ESA each Federal agency must, in consultation with the Services, ensure that any action it funds, authorizes, or carries out will not jeopardize the continued existence of listed species or adversely modify designated critical habitat. In an attempt to meet the fire management agencies' needs, the Services have developed guidance to assist in streamlining the consultation process for hazardous fuels treatment projects. This guidance provides options for both fire management agencies and the Services. It is designed to contain sufficient flexibility to meet the individual needs of varied circumstances across the landscape. Read More About "Alternate Approaches for Streamlining Section 7 Consultation on Hazardous Fuels Treatments Projects" Evaluating the Net Benefit of Hazardous Fuels Treatment Projects The Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service (Services) have developed guidance to assist in the ESA consultation analysis for hazardous fuels treatment projects such that appropriate factors are considered, consultation workloads are efficiently completed and implementation of these projects are not delayed. The Services, when consulting on fuels treatment projects under section 7 of the ESA, should evaluate and balance the long term benefits of fuels treatment projects, including the benefits of restoring natural fire regimes and native vegetation, as well as the long term risks of catastrophic wild fire, against any short of long term adverse effects. Read More About "Evaluating the Net Benefit of Hazardous Fuels Treatment Projects" ESA Counterpart Regulations The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and
National Marine Fisheries Service (Services) in conjunction
with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, National Park Service, USDA
Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management developed joint
counterpart regulations to the ESA that provide alternative
procedures that may be used to comply with the federal agency
consultation responsibilities described in section 7 of ESA.
The new procedures allow the agencies to make “not likely
to adversely affect” determinations without consulting
with or obtaining written concurrence from the Services for
proposed actions that support the National Fire Plan and the
President’s Healthy Forest Initiative. The counterpart
regulations were published in the Federal Register on December
8, 2003. Read More about the Federal Register Notice: "Joint
Counterpart Endangered Species Act Section 7 Consultation Regulations"
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| Improved Direction on Environmental Assessments |
| The President’s Healthy Forests
Initiative for Wildfire Prevention and Stronger Communities (August
22, 2002) called for administrative improvements that ensure more
timely decisions, greater efficiency, and better results in projects
that reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires and restore forest
health. To this end, the President directed the Council of Environmental
Quality (CEQ) to develop guidance to ensure consistent NEPA procedures
for fuels reduction and fire-adapted ecosystem restoration activities.
An improved environmental assessment (EA) development process is essential to effectively plan, authorize, and implement the numerous forest and rangeland health projects that are needed to restore fire-adapted ecosystems and reduce the threat of severe wildland fires to human safety, property and ecosystem integrity. In December 2002, CEQ Chairman James Connaughton, issued new guidance for EAs; which was implemented through 15 Pilot Projects:
In March 2004 a workshop was held to discuss the lessons learned
from the pilot projects. Based on findings from the workshop
the agencies and CEQ are compiling lessons learned that can
be used for future project EAs. |
| Amend Rules for Project Appeals |
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USDA Forest Service has improved administrative appeal rules to expedite appeals of forest health projects and to encourage early and more meaningful public participation. Read more in the Federal Register Notice June 4, 2004 The BLM has added regulations allowing the
agency to make wildfire management decisions effective immediately
when the BLM determines that vegetation, soil, or other resources
on the public lands are at substantial risk of wildfire due
to drought, fuels buildup, or other reasons, or when public
lands are at immediate risk of erosion or other damage due to
wildfire. The Office of Hearings and Appeals issued regulations
to expedite administrative review of such decisions.
Read More in the
Federal Register Notice December 16, 2002 |
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Amend Rules for Project Appeals |
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