Boone and Crockett Club Statement on Expansion of Good Neighbor Authority in EXPLORE Act

The Boone and Crockett Club applauds inclusion of provisions of the Treating Tribes and Counties as Good Neighbors Act within the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act that was recently signed into law. Good Neighbor Authority allows the USDA Forest Service to enter into agreements with state forestry agencies to conduct management projects on national forests to improve their ecological resilience and reduce the threat from catastrophic wildfires. The provisions in the EXPLORE Act will now allow the Forest Service to enter into similar agreements with tribes and counties to ensure projects can be implemented across land ownership types. GNA partners will now be able to perform restoration on all lands approved under the project’s Good Neighbor Agreement, regardless of federal boundaries, and further establishes Tribes’ and counties’ ability to reinvest revenue in authorized restoration efforts. Following is a statement by the Boone and Crockett Club’s chief executive officer, Tony Schoonen.

“Good Neighbor projects are improving forest health, creating wildlife habitat, and reducing fire risk across many western states through partnerships between state and federal agencies. Enacting this provision makes a good program better by adding tribes and counties as potential partners to expand projects across boundaries and improve even more forest lands in the West. We appreciate House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Ranking Member Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) for including the Treating Tribes and Counties as Good Neighbors Act in the EXPLORE package that made it through Congress—with timely help from Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo) and Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV now retired)—and was signed into law.”