H.R. 2936 would increase the share of proceeds from timber sales that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) pays to certain counties in Oregon. CBO estimates that enacting the bill would increase the amounts the federal government pays to certain counties in Oregon by $6 million over the 2019-2027 period. Those payments are considered direct spending; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. Enacting the legislation would not affect revenues.
The bill also would change the way the Forest Service conducts various activities related to forest management. Finally, the bill would exempt lawsuits challenging certain forest management activities from the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA). Based on information provided by the Forest Service, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost $10 million over the 2017-2022 period, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts.
CBO also estimates that enacting H.R. 2936 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits by more than $5 billion in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028.
H.R. 2936 would impose intergovernmental and private-sector mandates, as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) on plaintiffs, including public and private entities that seek judicial review of some forest management projects on federal lands. CBO estimates that the cost of the mandate would fall below the annual thresholds established in UMRA for intergovernmental and private-sector mandates ($78 million and $156 million in 2017, respectively, adjusted annually for inflation).
