H.R. 2709
Save Our Sequoias Act
Sponsor: Vince Fong · 29 cosponsors
Follow this billOfficial summary
Written by the Congressional Research Service.
Save Our Sequoias Act
This bill provides for the conservation of giant sequoia trees (Sequoiadendron giganteum) in California.
Specifically, it provides statutory authority for the Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition and outlines the coalition's duties. The coalition must submit a Giant Sequoia Health and Resiliency Assessment and annually update it. The information from the assessment must be made available so the information can be integrated into certain other plans. The coalition must also create and maintain a website that contains the assessment, educational materials, searchable information about individual giant sequoia groves, and a searchable database to track the status and costs of reforestation and rehabilitation activities.
In addition, the bill declares an emergency on certain public lands and allows officials to carry out protection plans during the emergency to respond to the threat of wildfires, insects, and drought. The emergency expires after seven years.
The Department of the Interior must develop and implement a Giant Sequoia Reforestation and Rehabilitation Strategy.
Finally, the bill establishes a variety of programs and funds to support the conservation of giant sequoias.
Text of the bill
(a) Codification. The Coalition is the entity established under the charter titled Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition Charter (or successor charter) signed during the period beginning June 2, 2022 and ending August 2, 2022 by each of the following:
(1) The National Park Service, representing Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
(2) The National Park Service, representing Yosemite National Park.
(3) The Forest Service, representing Sequoia National Forest and Giant Sequoia National Monument.
(4) The Forest Service, representing Sierra National Forest.
(5) The Forest Service, representing Tahoe National Forest.
(6) The Bureau of Land Management, representing Case Mountain Extensive Recreation Management Area.
(7) The Tribe, representing the Tule River Indian Reservation.
(8) The State of California, representing Calaveras Big Trees State Park.
(9) The State of California, representing Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest.
(10) The University of California, Berkeley, representing Whitaker’s Research Forest.
(11) The County of Tulare, California, representing Balch Park.
(b) Duties. In addition to the duties specified in the charter referenced in subsection (a), the Coalition shall—
(1) produce the Assessment under section 5;
(2) observe implementation, and provide policy recommendations to the Secretary concerned, with respect to—
(A) Protection Projects carried out under section 6; and
(B) the Strategy established under section 7;
(3) facilitate collaboration and coordination on Protection Projects, particularly projects that cross jurisdictional boundaries;
(4) facilitate information sharing, including best available science as described in section 5(d) and mapping resources; and
(5) support the development and dissemination of educational materials and programs that inform the public about the threats to the health and resiliency of giant sequoia groves and actions being taken to reduce the risk to such groves from high-severity wildfire, insects, and drought.
(c) Administrative support, technical services, and staff support. The Secretary shall make personnel of the Department of the Interior available to the Coalition for administrative support, technical services, development and dissemination of educational materials, and staff support that the Secretary determines necessary to carry out this section.
(d) Public Meeting requirement
(1) In general. Except as provided in paragraph (2), the Coalition shall provide for public observation at no less than one meeting annually.
(2) Closed sessions. The Coalition may close portions of a meeting as provided in paragraph (1) to the public only when discussion will involve—
(A) sensitive law enforcement, security, or emergency response matters, the public disclosure of which would compromise public safety; or
(B) confidential commercial information, private property information, or landowner information.