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<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 25pt; LINE-HEIGHT: 10pt"><A name=2></A><FONT face=Arial
color=#336600><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #336600; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">House Subcommittee
Holds Hearing on Potential Agency Transfer <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 140%"><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 6.5pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 140%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT
size=2><STRONG>The House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee held a hearing
today to review the potential effects of transferring the Forest Service from
the Department of Agriculture to the Department of the Interior.
<o:p></o:p></STRONG></FONT></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 140%"><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 6.5pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 140%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT
size=2><STRONG>The hearing addressed several reasons for a possible transfer,
including the fact that the Forest Service and several Interior agencies,
including the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), have budgets for wildfire.
Interest was expressed by the Subcommittee regarding the agencies’ missions,
cultures, responsibilities, shared policies, as well as potential management
practices if such a transfer were implemented. One key piece of information
presented at the hearing was a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report,
which is based on a year-long study of the issue and was developed at the
request of the Subcommittee chair and ranking
member.<o:p></o:p></STRONG></FONT></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 140%"><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 6.5pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 140%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT
size=2><STRONG>The Subcommittee did not recommend immediate action. Follow-up to
the hearing will likely be considered by both of the departments involved and
the Subcommittee over the next few weeks and months. Many conservation districts
work with both agencies on a host of projects and programs. Transfer of the
Forest Service to Interior would likely affect work at the local level during a
prospective transition period.<o:p></o:p></STRONG></FONT></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="LINE-HEIGHT: 140%"><FONT face=Arial color=black><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 6.5pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 140%; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><FONT
size=2><STRONG>The full GAO report is available on the GAO’s website at
</STRONG></FONT><A href="http://www.gao.gov/products/gao-09-223"><FONT
color=#006699 size=2><SPAN
style="COLOR: #006699"><STRONG>http://www.gao.gov/products/gao-09-223</STRONG></SPAN></FONT></A><FONT
size=2><STRONG>, and GAO witness testimony focusing on the potential effects and
factors to consider is available at </STRONG></FONT><A
href="http://www.gao.gov/products/gao-09-412T"><FONT color=#006699 size=2><SPAN
style="COLOR: #006699"><STRONG>http://www.gao.gov/products/gao-09-412T</STRONG></SPAN></FONT></A><FONT
size=2><STRONG>. Other witness’ testimony will also be available from the House
Appropriations Subcommittee once the hearing record is completed.
<o:p></o:p></STRONG></FONT></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV></BODY></HTML>