# Plain Language Summary: Root and Stem Project Authorization Act of 2023

This bill creates a new way for communities and organizations to work with the federal government on forest restoration projects on public lands. Instead of the government handling all the planning and analysis work itself, private groups or organizations can now propose forest restoration projects and pay upfront for the environmental studies and legal reviews that federal law requires. The government would then hire independent contractors to do this analysis work using the money provided. If the government decides to move forward with the project, it would put the work out for competitive bidding and hire a contractor to complete it. Any money the project generates—like from selling timber or other resources—would be used to reimburse the original group for the costs they paid for the analysis.

The bill applies to national forests managed by the Department of Agriculture and public lands managed by the Department of Interior. To qualify, a project proposal must come from a collaborative process involving multiple interested parties with different perspectives, and it must address local and rural community needs. The government maintains lists of approved contractors in each state who can conduct the required environmental and legal analysis. The bill includes important safeguards: the government still makes all final decisions about whether projects proceed, must verify there are no conflicts of interest between the person proposing the project and the contractor doing the analysis, and cannot use the provided funding for administrative costs—only for paying the contractor.

This approach is designed to speed up forest restoration by shifting some of the upfront planning costs to the communities and organizations that want the projects done. However, the bill includes a sunset provision, meaning this authority expires on January 1, 2033, unless Congress votes to extend it. The government must also promote awareness of this new option among its local field offices within 60 days of the bill becoming law.

Root and Stem Project Authorization Act of 2023

Newhouse, Dan

Root and Stem Project Authorization Act of 2023 This bill authorizes the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to conduct certain forest restoration projects. Specifically, the Forest Service or BLM may enter into an agreement for a project on federal land that was developed through a collaborative process that meets local and rural community needs if <ul> <li> the party with whom it enters into an agreement initially provides the Forest Service or BLM with a portion of the funding necessary to complete any analysis deemed necessary under federal law for consideration of the proposed project;</li> <li>the Forest Service or BLM uses the funding to pay a contractor included on a list of contractors that it maintains to conduct the analysis; </li> <li>upon completion of the analysis, the Forest Service or BLM solicits bids to carry out the project and enters into a contract or agreement under the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to carry out the project; and</li> <li>using certain receipts from the project, the Forest Service or BLM repays the initially provided funding.</li> </ul> For purposes of a civil action relating to such a project, any person that participated in the collaborative process to develop the proposal for the project shall be (1) entitled to intervene, as of right, in any subsequent civil action; and (2) considered to be a full participant in any settlement negotiation relating to the project. The authority to enter into an agreement and the requirement to maintain a list of contractors shall expire on January 1, 2033.