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Managing America: Environment & Natural Resources

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Week Ending January 15, 2010

H.R.3759 To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to grant economy-related contract extensions of a certain timber contracts between the Secretary of the Interior and timber purchasers, and for other purposes.

The Secretary of Interior is given 30 days from the request of a timber purchaser to modify the purchase contract to add an additional three years to the contract’s expiration date. Qualified contracts are those executed before December 31, 2008 for the sale of timber from Bureau of Land Management Land for which there remains un-harvested volume remaining.

The bill is the result of the economic downturn that has reduced housing starts from more than 2.2 million in June of 2006 to fewer than 500,000 in January 2009. The cost of removing the timber under the contracts signed three years ago has become cost prohibitive. The bill gives companies the opportunity to wait for better economic conditions.

Sponsor:  Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR-4^th)

Vote: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote

Cost to the taxpayers: “CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 3759 would not significantly affect the federal budget. Enacting the bill would have a negligible impact on direct spending and would not affect revenues”

Earmark Certification:   H.R. 3759 does not contain any congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in clause 9 of rule XXI.

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