Russian Ministry of Natural Resources proposed assigning forest areas for priority investment projects at the federal level

The Ministry of Natural Resources declared that it developed a draft bill under which the authority of providing forest areas for timber harvesting within the implementation of priority investment projects shall be transferred to the federal level, as reported by Interfax.

The bill stipulates modifications in the Forest Code and individual laws concerning improvement of lease relations. The document has already been approved by the Duma Committee on Ecology, Natural Resources, and Environmental Protection. The bill is being prepared for adoption in the first reading.