§ 1011a — Watershed Agreements

(a) For fiscal year 2006 and each fiscal year thereafter, to the extent funds are otherwise available, appropriations for the Forest Service may be used by the Secretary of Agriculture for the purpose of entering into cooperative agreements with willing Federal, tribal, State and local governments, private and nonprofit entities and landowners for the protection, restoration and enhancement of fish and wildlife habitat, and other resources on public or private land, the reduction of risk from natural disaster where public safety is threatened, or a combination thereof or both that benefit these resources within the watershed. (b) The Secretary of Agriculture may enter into a watershed restoration and enhancement agreement— (1) directly with a willing private landowner; or (2) indirectly through an agreement with a State, local or tribal government or other public entity, educational institution, or private nonprofit organization. (c) In order for the Secretary to enter into a watershed restoration and enhancement agreement— (1) the agreement shall— (A) or local government, or private or nonprofit entity; (B) improve the viability of and otherwise benefit the fish, wildlife, and other resources on national forests lands within the watershed; (C) authorize the provision of technical assistance by the Secretary in the planning of management activities that will further the purposes of the agreement; (D) provide for the sharing of costs of implementing the agreement among the Federal Government, the landowner(s), and other entities, as mutually agreed on by the affected interests; and (E) ensure that any expenditure by the Secretary pursuant to the agreement is determined by the Secretary to be in the public interest; and (2) the Secretary may require such other terms and conditions as are necessary to protect the public investment on non-Federal lands, provided such terms and conditions are mutually agreed to by the Secretary and other landowners, State and local governments or both. (d) Chapter 63 of title 31 shall not apply to— (1) a watershed restoration and enhancement agreement entered into under this section; or (2) an agreement entered into under section 565a–1 of this title. (e) Not later than December 31, 1999, the Secretary shall submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations of the House and Senate, which contains— (1) land, key activities, and all parties to the agreement. (2) the funding and/or other contributions provided by each party for each project agreement.