State Foresters joined a broad coalition of forestry partners in urging leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees to retain language included in the House Farm Bill (H.R. 2642) that would codify the EPA’s longstanding Silviculture Rule that looks to state-based Best Management Practices (BMPs) for addressing stormwater runoff associated with forest roads.
The Farm Bill language mirrors the Silviculture Regulatory Consistency Act, bi-partisan legislation introduced earlier this year in the House and Senate. This legislation is needed to restore legal certainty, promote water quality, and protect jobs by preserving EPA’s longstanding policy.