§ 6611. — Findings and purposes.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 7USC6611]
TITLE 7--AGRICULTURE
CHAPTER 95--RURAL REVITALIZATION THROUGH FORESTRY
SUBCHAPTER II--NATIONAL FOREST-DEPENDENT RURAL COMMUNITIES
Sec. 6611. Findings and purposes
(a) Findings
The Congress finds that--
(1) the economic well-being of rural America is vital to our
national growth and prosperity;
(2) the economic well-being of many rural communities depends
upon the goods and services that are derived from National Forest
System land;
(3) the economies of many of these communities suffer from a
lack of industrial and business diversity;
(4) this lack of diversity is particularly serious in
communities whose economies are predominantly dependent on timber
and recreation resources and where management decisions made on
National Forest System land by Federal and private organizations may
disrupt the supply of those resources;
(5) the Forest Service has expertise and resources that could be
directed to promote modernization and economic diversification of
existing industries and services based on natural resources;
(6) the Forest Service has the technical expertise to provide
leadership, in cooperation with other governmental agencies and the
private sector, to assist rural communities dependent upon National
Forest System land resources to upgrade existing industries and
diversify by developing new economic activity in non-forest-related
industries; and
(7) technical assistance, training, education, and other
assistance provided by the Department of Agriculture can be targeted
to provide immediate help to those rural communities in greatest
need.
(b) Purposes
The purposes of this subchapter are--
(1) to provide assistance to rural communities that are located
in or near National Forest System land and that are economically
dependent upon natural resources or are likely to be economically
disadvantaged by Federal or private sector land management
practices;
(2) to aid in diversifying such communities' economic bases; and
(3) to improve the economic, social, and environmental well-
being of rural America.
(Pub. L. 101-624, title XXIII, Sec. 2373, Nov. 28, 1990, 104 Stat. 4046;
Pub. L. 106-113, div. B, Sec. 1000(a)(3) [title III, Sec. 345(a)], Nov.
29, 1999, 113 Stat. 1535, 1501A-203.)
Amendments
1999--Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 106-113, Sec. 1000(a)(3) [title III,
Sec. 345(a)(1)(A)], substituted ``National Forest System land;'' for
``national forests;''.
Subsec. (a)(4). Pub. L. 106-113, Sec. 1000(a)(3) [title III,
Sec. 345(a)(1)(B)], substituted ``National Forest System land'' for
``the national forests''.
Subsec. (a)(5). Pub. L. 106-113, Sec. 1000(a)(3) [title III,
Sec. 345(a)(1)(C)], substituted ``natural resources;'' for ``forest
resources;''.
Subsec. (a)(6). Pub. L. 106-113, Sec. 1000(a)(3) [title III,
Sec. 345(a)(1)(D)], substituted ``National Forest System land
resources'' for ``national forest resources''.
Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 106-113, Sec. 1000(a)(3) [title III,
Sec. 345(a)(2)], substituted ``National Forest System land'' for
``national forests'' and ``natural resources'' for ``forest resources''.
