Evaluate barriers to risk reduction.
1. Support the WFEC to address the priority barriers identified by the CSSC.
2. Facilitate working with the WFEC and other regions to assist in implementing actions and timeline for implementation to remove the 50-plus identified barriers that prevent regions from reducing risk.
3. Streamline processes for complying with environmental protection laws.
4. Enable and encourage agencies to share environmental compliance studies/documents in their individual agency decision-making processes.
5. Simplify the land exchange process between states and the Federal government. Remove barriers to exchanges pursuant to the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act (FLTFA) and the Federal Land Policy Management Act (FLPMA). A provision should be added to FLPMA that addresses the public interest requirement and clarifies that a special relationship exists between the Federal government and the sovereign states, and that agreed upon Federal-state exchanges are in the public interest.
Short Term (0-2 years) & Ongoing
WRSC lead on tasks 1-4, and WGA lead on task 5. Other collaborators: State land management agencies, CEQ. For tasks 1-4: Recognize goal-based actions that erode the barriers. Identify timelines for each identified barrier. Reassess barriers in five years. Task 1,2: Aug 2013 - WFEC convened task groups for each of the top 11 priority CSF/Barriers. WRSC provided at least one, in most cases two, members to the national task groups. 2/27.14 update: Eleven priority barriers were determined from the list of over 50 originally. WFEC tasked groups to address the barriers, make an edits and provide potential actions to the WFEC for inclusion in the National Action Plan. Each group provided actions as tasked. Task 3: Aug 2013 - reviewing Blue Mtn Pilot Project - fantastic progress and collaboration..however NEPA approval not till 2016. Working with CEQ and presidential directives to see if there are any chances to speed this up. Task 4: Nov 2013 - Region 6 presented a variety of ways they are addressing NEPA issues on different projects. They are sharing these ideas across the region. • Large scale NEPA – programmatic agreements, new survey approaches, modeling techniques • Focused NEPA – narrow P/N, scope of analysis. • eMNEPA – more efficient mailing list & document management, content analysis. Extension of PALS. • Adaptive NEPA – suite of management actions for changing conditions without new NEPA, response to changing conditions (bark beetles, invasives). • Iterative NEPA – proposed action changed through collaboration, focus on one alternative collaboratively developed. April 2014 - Anchor Forest project in WA using contractor to conduct NEPA, much quicker. Task 5: WGA published document of resolution 13-01 calling for Congress to simplify and expedite the federal-state land exchange and sale process. Also calls on Congress to amend FLPMA to add language:The Governors request Congress amend the FLPMA to add language to: o Index the existing $150,000 threshold for using an expedited exchange process for inflation since the $150,000 threshold was adopted in 1986; o Allow use of a statement of value to replace the appraisal process in federal-state exchanges of similar rural lands; and o Presume any agreed federal-state land exchange as in public interest unless clearly countervailing factors are present (federal-private exchanges are not included in this presumption). 3. The Governors request that Congress reauthorize the FLTFA with priority to be given to acquisition of state inholdings.
