S.Amdt. 6039

SA 6039, submitted by Mr. Padilla, aims to add a new subtitle to bill S. 4784 titled the Save Our Sequoias Act. The purpose of this amendment is to establish a comprehensive framework for the management, conservation, and restoration of giant sequoias on specific federal, state, and tribal lands in California.

The amendment seeks to add the following to the bill:

• Collaborative Management: It requires the creation of shared stewardship agreements and codifies the Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition, which includes various federal agencies, the State of California, and the Tule River Indian Tribe.

• Assessment and Strategy: It mandates a Giant Sequoia Health and Resiliency Assessment to identify at-risk groves and a Reforestation and Rehabilitation Strategy to prioritize the recovery of impacted groves.

• Emergency Action: It declares an emergency on covered lands for 7 years to allow for Protection Projects. These projects include hazardous fuels management, removing dead or dying trees, and addressing insects and disease.

• Implementation Tools: It establishes Giant Sequoia Strike Teams for rapid execution of projects and provides for Collaborative Restoration Grants to help nonprofits, tribal, and local governments.

• Funding and Monitoring: It creates the Giant Sequoia Emergency Protection Program and Fund to manage philanthropic gifts and requires the development of a strategy to monitor insect infestations.

• Legal Adjustments: It modifies the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to allow stewardship contracting within specific National Parks and provides certain categorical exclusions from the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 for specific projects.