COMPETITION IN PROGRAMS UNDER COOPERATIVE FORESTRY ASSISTANCE ACT OF 1978.

SEC. 8007. COMPETITION IN PROGRAMS UNDER COOPERATIVE FORESTRY ASSISTANCE ACT OF 1978. The Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 is amended by inserting after section 13 (16 U.S.C. 2109) the following new section:“SEC. 13A. COMPETITIVE ALLOCATION OF FUNDS TO STATE FORESTERS OR EQUIVALENT STATE OFFICIALS.“(a) Competition.—Beginning not later than 3 years after the date of the enactment of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, the Secretary shall competitively allocate a portion, to be determined by the Secretary, of the funds available under this Act to State foresters or equivalent State officials.“(b) Determination.—In determining the competitive allocation of funds under subsection (a), the Secretary shall consult 122 STAT. 1286 with the Forest Resource Coordinating Committee established by section 19(a).“(c) Priority.—The Secretary shall give priority for funding to States for which the long-term State-wide forest resource strategies submitted under section 2A(a)(2) will best promote the national priorities specified in section 2(c).” .