As ordered reported by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on October 29, 2013
H.R. 2026 would prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from requiring a point source discharge permit (a type of permit issued under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) for water discharges from the following silvicultural activities: nursery operations; site preparation; reforestation; timber thinning; prescribed burning; pest and fire control; harvesting operations; surface drainage; or road use, construction, and maintenance.
According to EPA, notwithstanding ongoing litigation regarding silvicultural activities, a December 2012 rule regarding permitting for stormwater discharges from logging roads largely addresses the changes to current law proposed under this bill. Thus, CBO estimates that enacting this legislation would result in no significant impact on the federal budget. Pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply to H.R. 2026 because enacting the bill would not affect direct spending or revenues.
H.R. 2026 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.
