H.R. 6012 would expand the authority of the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to approve, under certain conditions, the removal of trees and vegetation that pose a hazard to electrical transmission lines on land under the jurisdiction of the National Forest System and the Bureau of Land Management. The holders of easements on that land would be allowed to sell any timber produced and would be required to remit those proceeds—net of transportation costs—to the federal government. Such sales proceeds are recorded in the budget as offsetting receipts (that is, as reductions in direct spending); a portion can be spent without further appropriation. CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 6012 would decrease direct spending by as much as $500,000 over the 2025-2034 period and would not affect revenues. CBO has not estimated the bill’s effects on spending subject to appropriation. The bill contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
