Timber Harvest Operations. Discharges. Releases. Clearcutting.

TIMBER HARVEST OPERATIONS. DISCHARGES. RELEASES. CLEARCUTTING. INITIATIVE STATUTE. Restricts discharge. Release of material harmful to fish or water quality by industrial timber operators on commercial or federal timberland. Authorizes civil enforcement actions, with injunctions, fines for violations; burden on defendants to prove compliance. Imposes reporting requirements upon designated government employees and registered foresters who become aware of violations, with criminal penalties for nondisclosure. Substantially restricts clearcutting. Imposes administration/enforcement fees for timber harvesting. Prohibits use of public funds for timber operations on private lands. Requires identification, public notice of trees older than approximately 145 years affected by large-scale timber harvests. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: Unknown reduction in state and local revenues, potentially a few million to over ten million dollars annually, to extent timber harvesting is reduced. Unknown long term impact on state and local revenues due to changes in economic activities. Unknown impact on state costs to implement timber harvest regulations; any costs would be offset by fees. Annual savings of about $13 million to various state funds from filing fee revenues for timber harvest plans