§ 471j — Headwaters Forest And Elk River Property Acquisition

(a) Subject to the terms and conditions of this section, up to $250,000,000 from the Land and Water Conservation Fund is authorized to be appropriated to acquire lands referenced in the Agreement of September 28, 1996, which consist of approximately 4,500 acres commonly referred to as the “Headwaters Forest”, approximately 1,125 acres referred to as the “Elk Head Forest”, and approximately 9,600 acres referred to as the “Elk River Property”, which are located in Humboldt County, California. This section is the sole authorization for the acquisition of such property, which is the subject of the Agreement dated September 28, 1996 between the United States of America (hereinafter “United States”), the State of California, MAXXAM, Inc., and the Pacific Lumber Company. Of the entire Elk River Property, the United States and the State of California are to retain approximately 1,845 acres and transfer the remaining approximately 7,755 acres of Elk River Property to the Pacific Lumber Company. The property to be acquired and retained by the United States and the State of California is that property that is the subject of the Agreement of September 28, 1996 as generally depicted on maps labeled as sheets 1 through 7 of Township 3 and 4 North, Ranges 1 East and 1 West, of the Humboldt Meridian, California, titled “Dependent Resurvey and Tract Survey”, as approved by Lance J. Bishop, Chief Cadastral Surveyor—California, on August 29, 1997. Such maps shall be on file in the Office of the Chief Cadastral Surveyor, Bureau of Land Management, Sacramento, California. The Secretary of the Interior is authorized to make such typographical and other corrections to this description as are mutually agreed upon by the parties to the Agreement of September 28, 1996. The land retained by the United States and the State of California (approximately 7,470 acres) shall hereafter be the “Headwaters Forest”. Any funds appropriated by the Federal Government to acquire lands or interests in lands that enlarge the Headwaters Forest by more than five acres per each acquisition shall be subject to specific authorization enacted subsequent to this Act, except that such funds may be used pursuant to existing authorities to acquire such lands up to five acres per each acquisition or interests in lands that may be necessary for roadways to provide access to the Headwaters Forest. (b) The authorization in subsection (a) expires March 1, 1999 and shall become effective only— (1) when the State of California provides a $130,000,000 contribution for the transaction; (2) when the State of California approves a Sustained Yield Plan covering Pacific Lumber Company timber property; (3) when the Pacific Lumber Company dismisses the following legal actions as evidenced by instruments in form and substance satisfactory to each of the parties to such legal actions: Pacific Lumber Co. v. United States, No. 96–257L (Fed. Cls.) and Salmon Creek Corp. v. California Board of Forestry, No. 96–CS–1057 (Cal. Super. Ct.); (4) when the incidental take permit under section 10(a) of the Endangered Species Act [16 U.S.C. 1539(a)] (based upon a multispecies Habitat Conservation Plan covering Pacific Lumber Company timber property, including applicable portions of the Elk River Property) is issued by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service; (5) after an appraisal of all lands and interests therein to be acquired by the United States has been undertaken, such appraisal has been reviewed for a period not to exceed 30 days by the Comptroller General of the United States, and such appraisal has been provided to the Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate, and the Committees on Appropriations of the House and Senate; (6) after the Secretary of the Interior issues an opinion of value to the Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate, and the Committees on Appropriations of the House and Senate for the land and property to be acquired by the Federal Government. Such opinion of value shall also include the total value of all compensation (including tax benefits) proposed to be provided for the acquisition; (7) after an Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Habitat Conservation Plan has been prepared and completed in accordance with the applicable provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 [42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.]; and (8) when adequate provision has been made for public access to the property. (c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the amount paid by the United States to acquire identified lands and interests in lands referred to in subsection (a) may differ from the value contained in the appraisal required by subsection (b)(5) if the Secretary of the Interior certifies, in writing, to Congress that such action is in the best interest of the United States. (1) Within 60 days after November 14, 1997, the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce shall report to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives on the scientific and legal standards and criteria for threatened, endangered, and candidate species under the Endangered Species Act [16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.] and any other species used to develop the habitat conservation plan (hereinafter “HCP”) and the section 10(a) [16 U.S.C. 1539(a)] incidental take permit for the Pacific Lumber Company land. (2) If the Pacific Lumber Company submits an application for an incidental take permit under section 10(a) of the Endangered Species Act [16 U.S.C. 1539(a)] for the transaction authorized by subsection (a), and the permit is not issued, then the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service shall set forth the substantive rationale or rationales for why the measures proposed by the applicant for such permit did not meet the issuance criteria for the species at issue. Such report shall be submitted to the Congress within 60 days of the decision not to issue such permit or by May 1, 1999, whichever is earlier. (3) If a section 10(a) permit for the Pacific Lumber Company HCP is issued, it shall be deemed to be unique to the circumstances associated with the acquisition authorized by this section and shall not establish a higher or lesser standard for any other multispecies HCPs than would otherwise be established under existing law. (e) Within 30 days of the acquisition of the Headwaters Forest, the Secretary of the Interior shall provide a $10,000,000 direct payment to Humboldt County, California. (f) The Federal portion of the Headwaters Forest acquired pursuant to this section shall be entitlement land under section 6905 of title 31. (g) The following funding limitations and parameters shall apply to the Headwaters Forest acquired under subsection (a)— (1) At least 50 percent of the total funds for management of such lands above the annual level of $100,000 shall (with the exception of law enforcement activities and emergency activities) be from non-Federal sources. (2) Subject to appropriations, the authorized annual Federal funding for management of such land is $300,000 (with the exception of law enforcement activities and emergency activities). (3) The Secretary of the Interior or the Headwaters Forest Management Trust referenced in subsection (h) is authorized to accept and use donations of funds and personal property from the State of California, private individuals, and other nongovernmental entities for the purpose of management of the Headwaters Forest. (h) The Secretary of the Interior is authorized, with the written concurrence of the Governor of the State of California, to establish a Headwaters Forest Management Trust (“Trust”) for the management of the Headwaters Forest as follows: (1) The Secretary of the Interior is authorized to vest management authority and responsibility in the Trust composed of a board of five trustees each appointed for terms of three years. Two trustees shall be appointed by the Governor of the State of California. Three trustees shall be appointed by the President of the United States. The first group of trustees shall be appointed within 60 days of exercising the authority under this subsection and the terms of the trustees shall begin on such day. The Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Resources of the State of California, and the Chairman of the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors shall be nonvoting, ex officio members of the board of trustees. The Secretary is authorized to make grants to the Trust for the management of the Headwaters Forest from amounts authorized and appropriated. (2) The Trust shall have the power to develop and implement the management plan for the Headwaters Forest. (1) A concise management plan for the Headwaters Forest shall be developed and periodically amended as necessary by the Secretary of the Interior in consultation with the State of California (and in the case that the authority provided in subsection (h) is exercised, the trustees shall develop and periodically amend the management plan), and shall meet the following requirements: (A) Management goals for the plan shall be to conserve and study the land, fish, wildlife, and forests occurring on such land while providing public recreation opportunities and other management needs. (B) Before a management structure and management plan are adopted for such land, the Secretary of the Interior or the board of trustees, as the case may be, shall submit a proposal for the structure and plan to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives. The proposed management plan shall not become effective until the passage of 90 days after its submission to the Committees. (C) The Secretary of the Interior or the board of trustees, as the case may be, shall report annually to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate, the Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives, and the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations concerning the management of lands acquired under the authority of this section and activities undertaken on such lands. (2) The management plan shall guide general management of the Headwaters Forest. Such plan shall address the following management issues— (A) scientific research on forests, fish, wildlife, and other such activities that will be fostered and permitted on the Headwaters Forest; (B) providing recreation opportunities on the Headwaters Forest; (C) access to the Headwaters Forest; (D) construction of minimal necessary facilities within the Headwaters Forest so as to maintain the ecological integrity of the Headwaters Forest; (E) other management needs; and (F) an annual budget for the management of the Headwaters Forest, which shall include a projected revenue schedule (such as fees for research and recreation) and projected expenses. (3) The National Environmental Policy Act [42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.] shall apply to the development and implementation of the management plan. (1) The Secretary of the Interior may enter into agreements with the State of California for the cooperative management of any of the following: Headwaters Forest, Redwood National Park, and proximate State lands. The purpose of such agreements is to acquire from and provide to the State of California goods and services to be used by the Secretary and the State of California in cooperative management of lands if the Secretary determines that appropriations for that purpose are available and an agreement is in the best interests of the United States; and (2) an assignment arranged by the Secretary under section 3372 of title 5 of a Federal or State employee for work in any Federal or State of California lands, or an extension of such assignment, may be for any period of time determined by the Secretary or the State of California, as appropriate, to be mutually beneficial.