,,ii  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #biaf  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,november #ab1 
#bjad ,mr4 ,heinrich 7for himself1 ,mrs4
 ,murray1 and ,mr4 ,udall of ,new       
,mexico7 introduced the following bill2 
which was read twice and referred to the
 ,committee on ,energy and ,natural     
,resources  ,a ,,bill  ,to amend the    
,omnibus ,public ,land ,management ,act 
of #bjji to promote watershed health1   
and for other purposes4  #a4 ,short     
title  ,this ,act may be cited as the   
,restoring ,america's ,watersheds ,act  
of #bjad4  #b4 ,water ,source           
,protection ,program ,subtitle ,a of    
title ,,iii of the ,omnibus ,public     
,land ,management ,act of #bjji 7,public
 ,law #aaa-aa2 #abc ,stat4 #aabf7 is    
amended by adding at the end the        
following3  #cjjb4 ,water ,source       
,protection ,program  7a7 ,in general   
,the ,secretary of ,agriculture1 acting 
through the ,chief of the ,forest       
,service 7referred to in this section as

 the ,secretary71 shall establish and   
maintain a ,water ,source ,protection   
,program 7referred to in this section as
 the ,program7 within the ,national     
,forest ,system west of the #ajjth      
,meridian4  7b7 ,water source investment
 partnerships  7#a7 ,in general ,in     
carrying out the ,program1 the          
,secretary may enter into water source  
investment partnerships with end water  
users 7including ,states1 political     
subdivisions1 ,indian tribes1 utilities1
 municipal water systems1 irrigation    
districts1 nonprofit organizations1 and 
corporations7 to protect and restore the
 condition of ,national ,forest         
watersheds that provide water to the    
non-,federal partners4  7#b7 ,form ,a   
partnership described in paragraph 7#a7 
may take the form of memoranda of       
understanding1 cost-share or collection 
agreements1 long-term match funding     
commitments1 or other appropriate       
instruments4  7c7 ,water source         
management plan  7#a7 ,in general ,in   

carrying out the ,program1 the          
,secretary may produce a water source   
management plan in cooperation with the 
water source investment partnership     
participants and ,state1 local1 and     
tribal governments4  7#b7 ,firewood ,a  
water source management plan may give   
priority to projects that facilitate the
 gathering of firewood for personal use 
pursuant to section #bbc4e of title #cf1
 ,code of ,federal ,regulations 7or     
successor regulations74  7#c7           
,environmental analysis ,the ,secretary 
may conduct-- 7,a7 a single             
environmental impact statement or       
similar analysis required under the     
,national ,environmental ,policy ,act of
 #aifi 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #dcba et seq47 for
 all or part of the restoration projects
 in the water source management plan2   
and  7,b7 a statement or analysis       
described in subparagraph 7,a7 as part  
of the development of the water source  
management plan or after the            
finalization of the plan4  7#d7         

,endangered ,species ,act ,in carrying  
out the ,program1 the ,secretary may use
 the ,manual on ,adaptive ,management of
 the ,department of the ,interior1      
including any associated guidance1 for  
purposes of fulfilling any requirements 
under the ,endangered ,species ,act of  
#aigc 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #aeca et seq474    
7#e7 ,funds and services  7,a7 ,in      
general ,in carrying out the ,program1  
the ,secretary may accept and use       
funding1 services1 and other forms of   
investment and assistance from water    
source investment partnership           
participants to implement the water     
source management plan4  7,b7 ,manner of
 use ,the ,secretary may accept and use 
investments described in subparagraph   
7,a7 directly or indirectly through the 
,national ,forest ,foundation4  7,c7    
,water ,source ,protection ,fund  7i7   
,in general ,subject to the availability
 of appropriations1 the ,secretary may  
establish a ,water ,source ,protection  
,fund to match funds or in-kind support 

contributed by water source investment  
partnership participants under          
subparagraph 7,a74  7ii7 ,use of        
appropriated funds ,the ,secretary may  
use funds appropriated to carry out this
 subparagraph to make multiyear         
commitments1 if necessary1 to implement 
#a or more water source investment      
partnership agreements4  4  #c4 ,forest 
service legacy roads and trails         
remediation program  7a7 ,in general    
,the ,secretary of ,agriculture shall   
establish and maintain a ,forest        
,service ,legacy ,roads and ,trails     
,remediation ,program 7referred to in   
this section as the ,program7 within the
 ,national ,forest ,system west of the  
#ajjth ,meridian-- 7#a7 to carry out    
critical maintenance and urgent repairs 
and improvements on ,national ,forest   
,system roads1 trails1 and bridges2     
7#b7 to restore fish and other aquatic  
organism passage by removing or         
replacing unnatural barriers to the     
passage of fish and other aquatic       

organisms2  7#c7 to decommission        
unneeded roads and trails2 and  7#d7 to 
carry out associated activities4  7b7   
,priority ,in implementing the ,program1
 the ,secretary shall give priority to  
projects that protect or restore-- 7#a7 
water quality2  7#b7 watersheds that    
feed public drinking water systems2 or  
7#c7 habitat for threatened1 endangered1
 and sensitive fish and wildlife        
species4  7c7 ,national ,forest ,system 
,except as authorized under section #cbc
 of title ,,iii of the ,department of   
the ,interior and ,related ,agencies    
,appropriations ,act1 #aiii 7#af        
,u4,s4,c4 #ajaa;a71 all projects carried
 out under the ,program shall be on     
,national ,forest ,system roads4  7d7   
,national ,program ,strategy ,not later 
than #ahj days after the date of        
enactment of this ,act1 the ,chief of   
the ,forest ,service shall develop a    
national strategy for implementing the  
,program4  #d4 ,watershed ,condition    
,framework ,subtitle ,a of title ,,iii  

of the ,omnibus ,public ,land           
,management ,act of #bjji 7as amended by
 section #b7 is amended by adding at the
 end the following3  #cjjc4 ,watershed  
,condition ,framework  7a7 ,in general  
,the ,secretary of ,agriculture1 acting 
through the ,chief of the ,forest       
,service 7referred to in this section as
 the ,secretary71 shall establish and   
maintain a ,watershed ,condition        
,framework within the ,national ,forest 
,system west of the #ajjth ,meridian--  
7#a7 to evaluate and classify the       
condition of watersheds1 taking into    
consideration-- 7,a7 water quality and  
quantity2  7,b7 aquatic habitat and     
biota2  7,c7 riparian and wetland       
vegetation2  7,d7 the presence of roads 
and trails2  7,e7 soil type and         
condition2  7,f7 groundwater-dependent  
ecosystems2  7,g7 relevant terrestrial  
indicators1 such as fire regime1 risk of
 catastrophic fire1 forest and rangeland
 vegetation1 invasive species1 and      
insects and disease2 and  7,h7 other    

significant factors1 as determined by   
the ,secretary2  7#b7 to identify for   
restoration up to #e priority watersheds
 in each ,national ,forest1 and up to #b
 priority watersheds in each national   
grassland1 taking into consideration the
 impact of the condition of the         
watershed condition on-- 7,a7 wildfire  
behavior2  7,b7 flood risk2  7,c7 fish  
and wildlife2  7,d7 drinking water      
supplies2  7,e7 irrigation water        
supplies2  7,f7 forest-dependent        
communities2 and  7,g7 other significant
 impacts1 as determined by the          
,secretary2  7#c7 to develop a watershed
 restoration action plan for each       
priority watershed that-- 7,a7 takes    
into account existing restoration       
activities being implemented in the     
watershed2 and  7,b7 includes1 at a     
minimum-- 7i7 the major stressors       
responsible for the impaired condition  
of the watershed2  7ii7 a set of        
essential projects that1 once completed1
 will address the identified stressors  

and improve watershed conditions2  7iii7
 a proposed implementation schedule2    
7iv7 potential partners and funding     
sources2 and  7v7 a monitoring and      
evaluation program2  7#d7 to prioritize 
restoration activities for each         
watershed restoration action plan2  7#e7
 to implement each watershed restoration
 action plan2 and  7#f7 to monitor the  
effectiveness of restoration actions and
 indicators of watershed health4  7b7   
,coordination ,throughout the process   
described in subsection 7a71 the        
,secretary shall-- 7#a7 coordinate with 
interested non-,federal landowners and  
with ,state1 tribal1 and local          
governments within the relevant         
watershed2 and  7#b7 provide for an     
active and ongoing public engagement    
process4  7c7 ,emergency designation    
,notwithstanding subsection 7a77#b71 the
 ,secretary may identify a watershed as 
a priority for rehabilitation in the    
,watershed ,condition ,framework without
 using the process described in         

subsection 7a71 if a ,forest ,supervisor
 determines that-- 7#a7 a wildfire has  
significantly diminished the condition  
of the watershed2 and  7#b7 the         
emergency stabilization activities of   
the ,burned ,area ,emergency ,response  
,team are insufficient to return the    
watershed to proper function4  4  #e4   
,reauthorization of the ,collaborative  
,forest ,landscape ,restoration ,fund   
,section #djjc7;f77#f7 of the ,omnibus  
,public ,land ,management ,act of #bjji 
7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #gcjc7;f77#f77 is amended
 by striking #bjai1 to remain available 
until expended and inserting #bjad1 and 
#hj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years    
#bjae through #bjbd1 to remain available
 until expended4