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i. The age bound by minimum implementing. ~u~~aments including:
<br /> . 1. BLM has funds available to enter into such agreements and the expenditure of
<br /> those funds must be in the public interest.
<br /> 2. The project must have direct benefit to biotic resources on public land
<br /> administered by BLM in the watershed, and must be more critical to the health of
<br /> those biotic resources than the effect that work on public land would have on
<br /> those- resources.
<br /> C. Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) of 1976 (Public Law 94-579, Section 307
<br /> (b)), states, "Subject to the provisions of applicable law, the Secretary may enter into contracts
<br /> and cooperative agreements involving the management, protection, development, and sale of
<br /> public lands."
<br /> D. National Fire Plan (NFP) - In the FY 2003 Department of the Interior Appropriations, P.L.
<br /> 108-7, Division F, Department of the Interior and related Agencies Appropriations, 2003, under
<br /> the title Wildland Fire Management, it states: "Provided
<br /> further, That using the amounts
<br /> designated under this title of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior may enter into procurement
<br /> contracts ants or coo erative a eements for hazar
<br /> ~ p gr dous fuels reduction activities, and for
<br /> training and monitoring associated with such hazardous fuels reduction activities, on Federal
<br /> land, or on adjacent non-Federal land for activities that benefit resources on Federal land:
<br /> Provided further, That the costs of implementing any cooperative agreement between the Federal
<br /> Government and any non-Federal entity maybe shared, as mutually agreed on by the affected
<br /> parties: Provided further, That in entering into such grants or cooperative agreements, the
<br /> Secretary may consider the enhancement of local and small business employment opportunities
<br /> for rural communities, and that in entering into procurement contracts under this section on a
<br /> best value basis, the Secretary may take into account the ability of an entity to enhance local and
<br /> small business employment opportunities in rural communities, and that the Secretary may
<br /> award procurement contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements under this section to entities that
<br /> include local non-profit entities, Youth Conservation Corps or related partnerships, or small or
<br /> disadvantaged businesses:
<br /> In August 2000, the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior were directed to develop a
<br /> response to severe wildland fires, reduce fire impacts on rural communities, and ensure effective
<br /> firefighting capacity in the future. The result was the National Fire Plan, which Congress has
<br /> supported through appropriations language in the FY 2001 Interior and Related Agencies
<br /> Appropriations Acts (P.L. 106-291). The direction requires "close collaboration among citizens
<br /> and governments at all levels," which, by extension, includes a geographically diverse group of
<br /> people, representing all levels of government, tribal interest, conservation and commodity
<br /> groups, and community-based restoration groups. The National Fire Plan is a long-term
<br /> investment and commitment to protect communities, natural resources, and public and firefighter
<br /> safety based on the cooperation and communication among federal agencies, states, local
<br /> governments, tribes and interested public.
<br /> The hazardous fuel treatment program portion of the National Fire Plan has expanded
<br /> significantly, with a greater focus on treatments intended to protect communities in the wildland
<br /> urban interface. A primary focus point of the National Fire Plans hazardous fuel reduction
<br /> program is to promote community assistance through the increased use of private sector services.
<br />
<br /> E~ Take Pride in America Program, 16 U.S.C. 4601, states the. TPIA Program shall include the
<br /> following: "To establish and maintain a public awareness campaign in cooperation with public
<br /> and private organizations and individuals - (A) to instill in the public the importance of the
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