§6591c Stewardship end result contracting projects

Summary

Allows the Chief of the Forest Service and the Director of the Bureau of Land Management to make stewardship contracts or agreements with private people or other public or private groups to do work that helps national forests, public lands, and local and rural communities. Work can cover things like road and trail work to protect water, improving soil and wildlife habitat, using prescribed fire, removing vegetation to make forests healthier and reduce fire risk, watershed and fish/wildlife restoration, and controlling invasive weeds and replanting native plants. The Chief and Director must pick contractors on a best-value basis. Contracts usually follow federal contracting rules and can run longer than 5 years but no more than 10 years. Timber or other forest products can be counted as payment, and their value must be appraised properly, including by unit or per-acre measures. They may require bonds or deposits to protect the government’s investment. If product value exceeds treatment costs, the extra can cover cancelled-contract liabilities or go to other stewardship projects. Either Secretary may choose the contracting officer to sign and manage contracts. The Forest Service Chief must issue fire-liability terms within 90 days after February 7, 2014. Money collected can be kept and spent at the project site without more Congressional appropriation, and certain older laws do not apply to these projects. They must set up a multiparty monitoring and evaluation process that can include tribal governments and other groups. For large multiyear contracts with a cancellation ceiling over $25,000,000, they must notify the Senate Committees on Energy and Natural Resources and on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and the House Committees on Natural Resources and on Agriculture at least 30 days before signing, explaining the yearly cancellation amounts, why those amounts were chosen, how cancellation costs are or are not budgeted, and the financial risk; a copy must go to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget within 14 days after that notice. One year after February 7, 2014, and each year after, they must report to those same committees on progress, results, and local community roles.