Granite Watershed Enhancement and Protection Act of 1998
Latest Action
Became Public Law No: 105-281.
Official Summary
Granite Watershed Enhancement and Protection Act of 1997 - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into a five-year contract with a single private contractor to perform multiple resource management activities (reduction of forest fuel loads, monitoring of wildlife and water quality in the Granite watershed) on Federal lands within the Stanislaus National Forest, California, to demonstrate enhanced water quality at reduced Government cost.
GovScope Watchdog™
AI Government Intelligence™The Granite Watershed Enhancement and Protection Act of 1998 authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into a five-year contract with a single private contractor. This contract is to carry out multiple resource management activities on Federal lands within the Stanislaus National Forest in California. The activities include reducing forest fuel loads and monitoring wildlife and water quality in the Granite watershed. The goal is to demonstrate improved water quality while reducing government costs.
This law enables a public-private partnership to manage natural resources in the Granite watershed, aiming to enhance water quality and reduce federal expenses over a five-year period.
- Authorizes a five-year contract between the Secretary of Agriculture and a single private contractor.
- Focuses on resource management activities such as reducing forest fuel loads and monitoring wildlife and water quality.
- Applies specifically to Federal lands within the Stanislaus National Forest, California.
- Intended to demonstrate enhanced water quality at a reduced cost to the government.
- Became Public Law No: 105-281 on October 26, 1998.
['U.S. Department of Agriculture', 'Private contractors specializing in resource management', 'Environmental and wildlife monitoring organizations', 'Communities relying on water quality in the Granite watershed', 'Federal land management agencies']
['Consolidating multiple resource management activities under a single private contractor may raise oversight and accountability challenges.', 'The effectiveness of cost reduction measures depends on contract management and performance monitoring.', 'Limited geographic scope to the Stanislaus National Forest may restrict broader applicability of results.', 'No full bill text available to assess detailed provisions, funding mechanisms, or enforcement language.']
The bill was introduced and passed during the 105th Congress and signed into law in 1998. It reflects a legislative approach to managing federal natural resources through partnerships with private contractors, aiming to improve environmental outcomes while controlling government spending. The policy area is Public Lands and Natural Resources.
Hidden impact flags detected: 2
GovScope reviewed 2 policy-risk categories. Hover for a quick definition. Click detected flags for bill-specific details.
['Potential demonstration of cost-effective resource management methods that could influence future federal land management contracts.', 'Improved water quality and wildlife monitoring data may inform broader environmental policy decisions.', 'Private sector involvement in federal land management could affect future public-private partnership models.']
The absence of the full bill text limits detailed analysis of funding, enforcement, and oversight provisions. Monitoring the implementation of a sole-source contract over five years is important to ensure accountability and cost-effectiveness. Transparency in contractor selection and performance metrics will be key to evaluating the program's success.
GovScope Intelligence Roadmap
Future bill intelligence will connect sponsors, committee referrals, related votes, campaign finance, disclosures, and stock trades into one legislative intelligence view.