Title V — Implementation and Monitoring

Report Required— Within three years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior shall jointly submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives a report that details the implementation of this Act. The report shall also detail any additional work and funding requirements necessary to achieve the purposes of this Act.

Preparation— The report shall be produced by a panel of independent scientists appointed by the National Academy of Sciences, in consultation with the Society for Conservation Biology.

Establishment— The Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior shall jointly establish an interagency team, containing equal numbers of participants from the public and private sectors, to monitor, evaluate, and make recommendations to ensure long-term results required by this Act.

Wildlife Movements— The interagency team shall assess the potential for facilitating wildlife movements across or under major highways and rail lines within the biological corridors established in title II. This assessment shall identify major crossing points and identify possible management actions to enhance the suitability of such crossing points as movement corridors, including underpasses, overpasses, and other methods for reducing the danger to native wildlife while facilitating movements within the Northern Rockies Bioregion.

Evaluation Required— Roadless lands greater than 1,000 acres in size, that are located within the National Forest System in the Wild Rockies Bioregion in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, or Wyoming, and that are not designated as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System (under this Act or any other law) shall be identified and evaluated by the panel of independent scientists appointed under section 501. In identifying and evaluating these lands, the panel shall make use of existing satellite information and Geographic Information System data developed by the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, in addition to other information sources. The panel shall study the role of such lands in maintaining biological diversity in the Northern Rockies and as part of the overall forest reserve system. The panel shall make recommendations regarding the management of the lands, and shall include the recommendations in the report required by section 501.

Prohibition— After completion of the evaluation required by subsection (a), until Congress enacts a law stating otherwise, no new road construction or reconstruction, or timber harvest (except firewood gathering) shall be allowed in the lands described in subsection (a). In addition, subject to valid existing rights, no oil or gas leasing, mining, or other development which impairs the natural and roadless qualities of these lands shall be allowed on the lands.