,i  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #egdd  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,february #c1        
#bjbj,mr4 ,la,malfa introduced the      
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,natural ,resources1  
and in addition to the ,committee on    
,agriculture1 for a period to be        
subsequently determined by the ,speaker1
 in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the           
jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
,a ,,bill  ,to establish a categorical  
exclusion for electric utility          
rights-of-way1 and for other purposes4  
#a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited
 as the ,clearing ,lines along          
,electrical ,at-,risk ,zones ,act4  #b4 
,vegetation management1 facility        
inspection1 and operation and           
maintenance relating to electric        
transmission and distribution facility  
rights of way  7a7 ,hazard trees within 
#ej feet of electric power line ,section
 #eab7;a77#a77;,b77ii7 of the ,federal  

,land ,policy and ,management ,act of   
#aigf 7#dc ,u4,s4,c4                    
#aggb7;a77#a77;,b77ii77 is amended by   
striking #aj and inserting #ej4  7b7    
,consultation with private landowners   
,section #eab7;c77#c77;,e7 of the       
,federal ,land ,policy and ,management  
,act of #aigf 7#dc ,u4,s4,c4            
#aggb7;c77#c77;,e77 is amended--  7#a7  
in clause 7i71 by striking and at the   
end2  7#b7 in clause 7ii71 by striking  
the period and inserting 2 and2 and     
7#c7 by adding at the end the following3
  7iii7 consulting with private         
landowners with respect to any hazard   
trees identified for removal from land  
owned by such private landowners4  4    
7c7 ,review and approval process ,clause
 7iv7 of section #eab7;c77#d77;,a7 of   
the ,federal ,land ,policy and          
,management ,act of #aigf 7#dc ,u4,s4,c4
 #aggb7;c77#d77;,a77 is amended to read 
as follows3  7iv7 ensures that-- 7,i7 a 
plan submitted without a modification   
under clause 7iii7 shall be             

automatically approved #fj days after   
review2 and  7,,ii7 a plan submitted    
with a modification under clause 7iii7  
shall be automatically approved #fg days
 after review4  4  #c4 ,categorical     
exclusion for electric utility lines    
rights-of-way  7a7 ,secretary concerned 
defined ,the term ,secretary concerned  
means-- 7#a7 the ,secretary of          
,agriculture1 with respect to ,national 
,forest ,system lands2 and  7#b7 the    
,secretary of the ,interior1 with       
respect to public lands4  7b7           
,categorical exclusion established      
,forest management activities described 
in subsection 7c7 are a category of     
activities designated as being          
categorically excluded from the         
preparation of an environmental         
assessment or an environmental impact   
statement under section #ajb of the     
,national ,environmental ,policy ,act of
 #aifi 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #dccb74  7c7      
,forest management activities designated
 for categorical exclusion ,the forest  

management activities designated as     
being categorically excluded under      
subsection 7b7 are--  7#a7 the          
development and approval of a vegetation
 management1 facility inspection1 and   
operation and maintenance plan submitted
 under section #eab7;c77#a7 of the      
,federal ,land ,policy and ,management  
,act of #aigf 7#dc ,u4,s4,c4            
#aggb7;c77#a77 by the ,secretary        
concerned2 and  7#b7 the implementation 
of routine activities conducted under   
the plan referred to in paragraph 7#a74 
7d7 ,availability of categorical        
exclusion ,on and after the date of the 
enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary  
concerned may use the categorical       
exclusion established under subsection  
7b7 in accordance with this section4    
7e7 ,extraordinary circumstances ,use of
 the categorical exclusion established  
under subsection 7b7 shall not be       
subject to the extraordinary            
circumstances procedures in section     
#bbj4f1 title #cf1 ,code of ,federal    

,regulations1 or section #aejh4d1 title 
#dj1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations4    
7f7 ,exclusion of certain areas ,the    
categorical exclusion established under 
subsection 7b7 shall not apply to any   
forest management activity conducted--  
7#a7 in a component of the ,national    
,wilderness ,preservation ,system2 or   
7#b7 on ,national ,forest ,system lands 
on which1 by ,act of ,congress1 the     
removal of vegetation is restricted or  
prohibited4  7g7 ,permanent roads  7#a7 
,prohibition on establishment ,a forest 
management activity designated under    
subsection 7c7 shall not include the    
establishment of a permanent road4  7#b7
 ,existing roads ,the ,secretary        
concerned may carry out necessary       
maintenance and repair on an existing   
permanent road for the purposes of      
conducting a forest management activity 
designated under subsection 7c74  7#c7  
,temporary roads ,the ,secretary        
concerned shall decommission any        
temporary road constructed for a forest 

management activity designated under    
subsection 7c7 not later than #c years  
after the date on which the action is   
completed4  7h7 ,applicable laws ,a     
forest management activity designated   
under subsection 7c7 shall not be       
subject to section #g of the ,endangered
 ,species ,act of #aigc 7#af ,u4,s4,c4  
#aecf71 section #ajf of the ,national   
,historic ,preservation ,act1 or any    
other applicable law4