---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 27 Feb 2000 13:51:26 -0700 (MST)
From: Peter <peter at www.peter.unmack.net>
To: peter.unmack at asu.edu
Subject: US Federal Legislation to Exempt Silviculture from Clean Water Act
Date: Sun, 27 Feb 2000 10:57:47 -0800
From: Alan Levine <alevine at mail.mcn.org>
Subject: Federal Legislation to Exempt Silviculture from Clean Water Act
Proposed federal legislation to exempt silviculture from CWA oversight.
I would hope that advocacy groups, including CWN and fishing organizations,
would inform congress of impacts related to silviculture. Commercial and
sport fishing groups need to work harder at getting their message out.
Apparently there are some folks out there that claim that silviculture
operations could not possibly affect water qaulity. The time to start
working is now.
CWN please keep us up to date on this issue.
As mentioned in an email from Kathy Nemsick a week or so ago, Senator Lincoln
(D-AR) did in fact introduce a senate bill to exempt silviculture from CWA
permitting. The bill text is below. Senator Lincoln was extremely vocal at a
recent Senate Ag committee hearing on the tmdl rule (specifically on the
silviculture piece). Watch this space for more information on action and a
summary of recent hearings shortly.
Merritt
S.2041
Sponsor: Sen Lincoln, Blanche (introduced 2/8/2000)
Latest Major Action: 2/8/2000 Referred to Senate committee
Title: A bill to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to exempt
discharges from certain silvicultural activities from
permit requirements of the national pollutant discharge elimination system.
OFFICIAL TITLE AS INTRODUCED:
A bill to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to exempt
discharges from certain silvicultural activities from
permit requirements of the national pollutant discharge elimination system.
STATUS: (color indicates Senate actions)
2/8/2000:
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
COMMITTEE(S):
Committee/Subcommittee:
Activity:
Senate Environment and Public Works
Referral
AMENDMENT(S):
***NONE***
COSPONSOR(S):
***NONE***
To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to exempt discharges from
certain silvicultural activities from
permit requirements of the national pollutant discharge elimination...
(Introduced in the Senate)
S 2041 IS
106th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2041
To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to exempt discharges from
certain silvicultural activities from permit
requirements of the national pollutant discharge elimination system.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 8, 2000
Mrs. LINCOLN introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to
the Committee on Environment and Public
Works
A BILL
To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to exempt discharges from
certain silvicultural activities from permit
requirements of the national pollutant discharge elimination system.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress
assembled,
SECTION 1. EXEMPTION FOR SILVICULTURAL ACTIVITIES.
(a) IN GENERAL- Section 402(l) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act
(33 U.S.C. 1342(l)) is amended by
adding at the end the following:
`(3) SILVICULTURAL ACTIVITIES- The Administrator shall not require a
permit under this section, nor shall
the Administrator directly or indirectly require any State to require
such a permit, for discharges of stormwater
runoff from silvicultural activities conducted in connection with--
`(A) site preparation;
`(B) reforestation (including subsequent cultural treatment);
`(C) thinning;
`(D) prescribed burning;
`(E) pest and fire control;
`(F) harvesting operations;
`(G) surface drainage;
`(H) road construction and maintenance; and
`(I) nursery operations.'.
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT- Section 502(14) of the Federal Water Pollution
Control Act (33 U.S.C.
1362(14)) is amended by striking the second sentence and inserting the
following: `This term does not include agricultural
stormwater discharges, return flows from irrigated agriculture, and
discharges of stormwater runoff from silvicultural
activities described in section 402(l)(3).'.
Alan Levine
Coast Action Group
P.O. Box 215
Point Arena, CA 95468
(707) 882-2484
(707) 542-4408 - Weekdays
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