PUBLIC LAW 104-19-JULY 27, 1995 109 STAT. 241 (2) The term "emergency period" means the period beginning on the date of the enactment of this section and ending on September 30, 1997. (3) The term "salvage timber sale" means a timber sale for which an important reason for entry includes the removal of disease- or insect-infested trees, dead, damaged, or down trees, or trees affected by fire or imminently susceptible to fire or insect attack. Such term also includes the removal of associated trees or trees lacking the characteristics of a healthy and viable ecosystem for the purpose of ecosystem improvement or rehabilitation, except that any such sale must include an identifiable salvage component of trees described in the first sentence. (4) The term "Secretary concerned" means— (A) the Secretary of Agriculture, with respect to lands within the National Forest System; and (B) the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to Federal lands under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management. (b) COMPLETION OF SALVAGE TIMBER SALES. — (1) SALVAGE TIMBER SALES. —Using the expedited proce- Contracts, dures provided in subsection (c), the Secretary concerned shall prepare, advertise, offer, and award contracts during the emergency period for salvage timber sales from Federal lands described in subsection (a)(4). During the emergency period, the Secretary concerned is to achieve, to the maximum extent feasible, a salvage timber sale volume level above the programmed level to reduce the backlogged volume of salvage timber. The preparation, advertisement, offering, and awarding of such contracts shall be performed utilizing subsection (c) and notwithstanding any other provision of law, including a law under the authority of which any judicial order may be outstanding on or after the date of the enactment of this Act. (2) USE OF SALVAGE SALE FUNDS.— TO conduct salvage timber sales under this subsection, the Secretary concerned may use salvage sale funds otherwise available to the Secretary concerned. (3) SALES IN PREPARATION. —Any salvage timber sale in preparation on the date of the enactment of this Act shall be subject to the provisions of this section. (c) EXPEDITED PROCEDURES FOR EMERGENCY SALVAGE TIMBER SALES. — (1) SALE DOCUMENTATION. — (A) PREPARATION.—For each salvage timber sale conducted under subsection (b), the Secretary concerned shall prepare a document that combines an environmental assessment under section 102(2) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)) (including regulations implementing such section) and a biological evaluation under section 7(a)(2) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1536(a)(2)) and other applicable Federal law and implementing regulations. A document embodying decisions relating to salvage timber sales proposed under authority of this section shall, at the sole discretion of the Secretary concerned and to the extent the Secretary concerned considers appropriate and feasible, consider the environmental effects of the salvage timber -194O-95 - 9:QL3Part1
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