[MPWG] Forest Land Sales to Support Rural Schools - Public comment period...

Thu Mar 30 07:11:30 CST 2006

Comment Period for Bush administration's "No Forest Left Uncut" plan  to fund 
rural schools has been extended to May 1.  

In a message dated 3/29/2006 11:45:30 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
Patricia_DeAngelis at fws.gov writes:

Pardon the cross-postings. 

Public comment is being sought for a proposal from the US  Forest Service to 
sell parcels of land in order to pay for rural schools.  I had a hard time 
finding the actual federal register notice.  I'm  sure there is a lot more to 
this issue than what I've provided but this is a  start. 
    *   A copy of the FR notice  
    *   An article from the Charleston  Gazette
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Comment Period Open for Proposed Sale of National Forest  Land
Secure Rural Schools Land Sales  Initiative 

http://yubanet.com/artman/publish/article_32355.shtml     By: USDA
Published: Mar 2,  2006 at 15:17   

The Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested  individuals and 
organizations on the list of National Forest System land  parcels in the FY 
2007 President's Budget proposal to be sold for the purpose  of funding payments 
to Secure Rural Schools (SRS), should this program be  extended by amendment 
to the Secure Rural Schools and Community  Self-Determination Act of 2000. The 
sale of these parcels is contingent upon  amendment of the SRS as proposed by 
the President.

DATES  

You should submit your comments by March 30, 2006 to be assured of  
consideration. Comments received after that date will be considered only to  the extent 
practicable.

ADDRESSES

You may submit your  comments by e-mail to _SRS_Land_Sales at fs.fed.us_ 
(mailto:SRS_Land_Sales at fs.fed.us) , by  facsimile to (202) 205-1604, or by mail to 
USDA Forest Service, SRS Comments,  Lands 4S, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., 
Mailstop 1124, Washington, DC  20250-0003. Electronic submission is preferred. If 
you submit your comments by  e-mail or fax, you do not need to send a paper 
copy by mail.

Your  comments may address the entire list of parcels identified in the 
President's  proposal, or an individual parcel or parcels on that list. If you are  
commenting about a specific parcel on the list, it would be helpful to 
provide  the parcel's number from the list and all information specifically related 
to  the sale of that parcel.

Document and Comment Availability: In addition  to publishing the full text 
of this document in the Federal Register, the  Forest Service provides all 
interested persons an opportunity to view and/or  print the contents of this 
document, the potentially eligible lands listing,  and associated maps via the 
Internet. Information on this proposal and the  Federal Register Notice can be 
found at _http://www.fs.fed.us_ (http://www.fs.fed.us/)  via the  Secure Rural 
Schools and Community Self-Determination Act link to the  "President's FY 2007 
Budget Proposal for the Forest Service--Secure Rural  Schools and Community 
Self-Determination Act Extension" page.

FOR  FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT 

Cynthia R. Swanson, Assistant Director  of Lands, Washington Office, 
202-205-0099. Individuals who use  telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) may 
call the Federal Information  Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 
a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern  Standard Time, Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY  INFORMATION

The Secure Rural Schools and Community  Self-Determination Act of 2000 (the 
Act) (Pub. L. 106-393) was enacted to  provide transitional assistance to rural 
counties that had been affected by  the decline in revenue from timber 
harvests on Federal lands. These counties  traditionally relied on a share of 
receipts from timber harvests to fund their  school systems and roads. The Act 
stabilized payments that are critically  important to more than 4,400 rural schools 
and addressed many severe  maintenance backlogs for county roads. Resource 
Advisory Committees (RACs)  established under the Act have developed and 
proposed forest health  improvement projects.

The President's fiscal year 2007 Budget for the  Forest Service proposes 
legislation to amend the Secure Rural Schools Act. The  legislation would provide 
a source of funding for payments under the Secure  Rural Schools Act by 
authorizing the sale of a limited number of National  Forest System lands. These 
parcels generally meet criteria traditionally used  by the Forest Service to 
identify lands suitable for sale or exchange. Many of  these parcels are isolated 
from other contiguous National Forest System lands,  and because of their l
ocation, size, or configuration are not efficient to  manage as a component of 
the National Forest System.

The Forest Service  manages about 193 million acres in 155 national forests 
and 20 national  grasslands located in 43 States across the nation. The limited 
number of  parcels included within this proposal constitutes less than 0.2 of 
1% of the  National Forest System land base. A total of 304,370 acres and 
approximately  3,000 individual tracts have been identified on 120 national 
forests, 10  national grasslands, within 35 States.

Lands located within the  boundaries of any component of the National 
Wilderness Preservation System,  National Wild and Scenic River System, National 
Trail System, National  Recreation Area, National Monument, National Historic 
Site, National Preserve,  or specially designated areas such as Research Natural 
Areas and experimental  forests and ranges are not eligible for conveyance.

Many of the  identified parcels have not been inventoried for natural or 
cultural resources  specific to this proposal. However, they generally meet 
criteria traditionally  used by the Forest Service to identify parcels for potential 
sale or exchange.  Examples of primary benefits of disposal will include: 

(1) Reduction  in agency costs associated with encroachments and boundary 
management; 
(2)  enhancement of local economies through private sector development; and 
(3)  increased opportunities for acquisition by local governmental entities 
for low  income housing, parks, fire stations, water and wastewater systems, 
and for  other community and public purposes.

The proposed sale of these parcels  is contingent upon the enactment of 
legislation by Congress to provide revenue  for the authorization of the Secure 
Rural Schools and Community  Self-Determination Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106-393). 

The Forest Service  does not have general, non-specific, authority to sell 
National Forest System  lands. 

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