IB 

Union Calendar No. 570 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8790 

[Report No. 118–674, Part I] 

To expedite under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and improve forest management activities on National Forest System lands, 

on public lands under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management, and on Tribal lands to return resilience to overgrown, fire-prone 

forested lands, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 18, 2024 

Mr. WESTERMAN (for himself, Mr. PETERS, Mr. TIFFANY, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. 

STAUBER, Mr. COSTA, Mr. MCCLINTOCK, Mr. CA ́RDENAS, Mr. CURTIS, 

Mr. BERA, Mr. DUARTE, Mr. MOYLAN, and Mr. GOSAR) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, 

and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, and Science, Space, 

and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 

Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 

the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024 

Additional sponsors: Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. CARL, Ms. BOEBERT, Mrs. CHAVEZDEREMER, Mr. BENTZ, Mrs. RADEWAGEN, Mr. COLLINS, Mr. 

GARAMENDI, Mrs. KIM of California, Mr. ZINKE, and Mr. JOHNSON of 

South Dakota 

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024 

Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024 

Committees on Agriculture and Science, Space, and Technology discharged; 

committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the 

Union and ordered to be printed 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on June 18, 2024] 


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A BILL 

To expedite under the National Environmental Policy Act 

of 1969 and improve forest management activities on 

National Forest System lands, on public lands under 

the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management, 

and on Tribal lands to return resilience to overgrown, 

fire-prone forested lands, and for other purposes. 


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1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fix 

5 Our Forests Act’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

7 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Definitions. 

TITLE I—LANDSCAPE-SCALE RESTORATION 

Subtitle A—Addressing Emergency Wildfire Risks in High Priority Firesheds 

Sec. 101. Designation of fireshed management areas. 

Sec. 102. Fireshed center. 

Sec. 103. Fireshed registry. 

Sec. 104. Shared stewardship. 

Sec. 105. Fireshed assessments. 

Sec. 106. Emergency fireshed management. 

Sec. 107. Sunset. 

Subtitle B—Expanding Collaborative Tools to Reduce Wildfire Risk and 

Improve Forest Health 

Sec. 111. Modification of the treatment of certain revenue and payments under 

good neighbor agreements. 

Sec. 112. Fixing stewardship end result contracting. 

Sec. 113. Intra-agency strike teams. 

Sec. 114. Locally-led restoration. 

Sec. 115. Joint Chiefs landscape restoration partnership program. 

Sec. 116. Collaborative forest landscape restoration program. 

Subtitle C—Litigation Reform 

Sec. 121. Commonsense litigation reform. 

Sec. 122. Consultation on forest plans. 

TITLE II—PROTECTING COMMUNITIES IN THE WILDLAND-URBAN 

INTERFACE 

Sec. 201. Community wildfire risk reduction program. 

Sec. 202. Community wildfire defense research program. 

Sec. 203. Vegetation management, facility inspection, and operation and maintenance relating to electric transmission and distribution facility 

rights-of-way. 

Sec. 204. Categorical exclusion for electric utility lines rights-of-way. 

Sec. 205. Seeds of success. 


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TITLE III—TRANSPARENCY AND TECHNOLOGY 

Sec. 301. Biochar innovations and opportunities for conservation, health, and advancements in research. 

Sec. 302. Accurate hazardous fuels reduction reports. 

Sec. 303. Public-private wildfire technology deployment and testbed partnership. 

Sec. 304. GAO study on Forest Service policies. 

Sec. 305. Forest Service Western headquarters study. 

Sec. 306. Keeping forest plans current and monitored. 

1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means the 

4 Director of the Fireshed Center appointed under sec5 tion 102. 

6 (2) FIRESHED.—The term ‘‘fireshed’’ means a 

7 landscape-scale area that faces similar wildfire threat 

8 where a response strategy could influence the wildfire 

9 outcome. 

10 (3) FIRESHED MANAGEMENT PROJECT.—The 

11 term ‘‘fireshed management project’’ means a project 

12 under section 106. 

13 (4) FIRESHED REGISTRY.—The term ‘‘Fireshed 

14 Registry’’ means the fireshed registry established 

15 under section 103. 

16 (5) FOREST PLAN.—The term ‘‘forest plan’’ 

17 means— 

18 (A) a land use plan prepared by the Bureau 

19 of Land Management for public lands pursuant 

20 to section 202 of the Federal Land Policy and 

21 Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712); 


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1 (B) a land and resource management plan 

2 prepared by the Forest Service for a unit of the 

3 National Forest System pursuant to section 6 of 

4 the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources 

5 Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1604); or 

6 (C) a forest management plan (as defined 

7 in section 304 of the National Indian Forests 

8 Resources Management Act (25 U.S.C. 3104)) 

9 with respect to Indian forest land or rangeland. 

10 (6) GOVERNOR.—The term ‘‘Governor’’ means 

11 the Governor or any other appropriate executive offi12 cial of an affected State or Indian Tribe or the Com13 monwealth of Puerto Rico. 

14 (7) HAZARDOUS FUELS MANAGEMENT ACTIVI15 TIES.—The term ‘‘hazardous fuels management ac16 tivities’’ means any vegetation management activities 

17 (or combination thereof) that reduce the risk of wild18 fire, including mechanical thinning, mastication, pre19 scribed burning, cultural burning (as determined by 

20 the applicable Indian Tribe), timber harvest, and 

21 grazing. 

22 (8) HFRA TERMS.—The terms ‘‘at-risk commu23 nity’’, ‘‘community wildfire protection plan’’, and 

24 ‘‘wildland-urban interface’’ have the meanings given 


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1 such terms, respectively, in section 101 of the Healthy 

2 Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6511). 

3 (9) INDIAN FOREST LAND OR RANGELAND.—The 

4 term ‘‘Indian forest land or rangeland’’ means land 

5 that— 

6 (A) is held in trust by, or with a restriction 

7 against alienation by, the United States for an 

8 Indian Tribe or a member of an Indian Tribe; 

9 and 

10 (B)(i)(I) is Indian forest land (as defined 

11 in section 304 of the National Indian Forest Re12 sources Management Act (25 U.S.C. 3103)); or 

13 (II) has a cover of grasses, brush, 

14 or any similar vegetation; or 

15 (ii) formerly had a forest cover or vege16 tative cover that is capable of restoration. 

17 (10) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 

18 has the meaning given that term in section 4 of the 

19 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

20 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

21 (11) NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM LANDS.—The 

22 term ‘‘National Forest System lands’’ has the mean23 ing given the term in section 11(a) of the Forest and 

24 Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 

25 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1609). 


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1 (12) PUBLIC LANDS.—The term ‘‘public lands’’ 

2 has the meaning given that term in section 103 of the 

3 Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 

4 (43 U.S.C. 1702), except that the term includes Coos 

5 Bay Wagon Road Grant lands and Oregon and Cali6 fornia Railroad Grant lands. 

7 (13) RELEVANT CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES.— 

8 The term ‘‘relevant Congressional Committees’’ 

9 means— 

10 (A) the Committees on Natural Resources 

11 and Agriculture of the House of Representatives; 

12 and 

13 (B) the Committees on Energy and Natural 

14 Resources and Agriculture, Nutrition, and For15 estry of the Senate. 

16 (14) RESPONSIBLE OFFICIAL.—The term ‘‘re17 sponsible official’’ means an employee of the Depart18 ment of the Interior or Forest Service who has the au19 thority to make and implement a decision on a pro20 posed action. 

21 (15) SECRETARIES.—The term ‘‘Secretaries’’ 

22 means each of— 

23 (A) the Secretary of the Interior; and 

24 (B) the Secretary of Agriculture. 


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1 (16) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

2 the Secretary of Agriculture. 

3 (17) SECRETARY CONCERNED.—The term ‘‘Sec4 retary concerned’’ means— 

5 (A) the Secretary of Agriculture, with re6 spect to National Forest System lands; and 

7 (B) the Secretary of the Interior, with re8 spect to public lands. 

9 (18) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 

10 the several States, the District of Columbia, and each 

11 territory of the United States 

12 TITLE I—LANDSCAPE-SCALE 

13 RESTORATION 

14 Subtitle A—Addressing Emergency 

15 Wildfire Risks in High Priority 

16 Firesheds 

17 SEC. 101. DESIGNATION OF FIRESHED MANAGEMENT 

18 AREAS. 

19 (a) DESIGNATION OF FIRESHED MANAGEMENT

20 AREAS.— 

21 (1) INITIAL DESIGNATIONS.—For the period be22 ginning on the date of enactment of this Act and end23 ing on the date that is 5 years after the date of enact24 ment of this Act, there are designated fireshed man25 agement areas, which— 


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1 (A) shall be comprised of individual land2 scape-scale firesheds identified as being a high 

3 risk fireshed in the ‘‘Wildfire Crisis Strategy’’ 

4 published by the Forest Service in January 

5 2022; 

6 (B) shall be comprised of individual land7 scape-scale firesheds identified by the Secretary, 

8 in consultation with the Secretary of the Inte9 rior, as being in the top 20 percent of the 7,688 

10 firesheds published by the Rocky Mountain Re11 search Station of the Forest Service in 2019 for 

12 wildfire exposure based on the following cri13 teria— 

14 (i) wildfire exposure and corresponding 

15 risk to communities, including risk to struc16 tures and life; 

17 (ii) wildfire exposure and cor18 responding risk to municipal watersheds, 

19 including tribal water supplies and systems; 

20 and 

21 (iii) risk of forest conversion due to 

22 wildfire; 

23 (C) shall not overlap with any other 

24 fireshed management areas; 


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1 (D) may contain Federal and non-Federal 

2 land, including Indian forest lands or range3 lands; and 

4 (E) where the Secretary concerned shall 

5 carry out fireshed management projects. 

6 (2) FURTHER FIRESHED MANAGEMENT AREA

7 DESIGNATIONS.— 

8 (A) IN GENERAL.—On the date that is 5 

9 years after the date of the enactment of this Act 

10 and every 5 years thereafter, the Secretary, in 

11 consultation with the Secretary of the Interior, 

12 shall submit to the relevant Congressional Com13 mittees an updated map of firesheds based on the 

14 Fireshed Registry maintained under section 103. 

15 (B) DESIGNATION.—Not later than 60 days 

16 after submitting an updated fireshed map under 

17 subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall, based on 

18 such map, designate additional fireshed manage19 ment areas that are identified as being in the 

20 top 20 percent of firesheds at risk of wildfire ex21 posure based on the criteria specified in subpara22 graphs (B), (C), (D), and (E) of paragraph (1). 

23 (b) APPLICABILITY OF NEPA.—The designation of 

24 fireshed management areas under this section shall not be 


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1 subject to the requirements of the National Environmental 

2 Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). 

3 SEC. 102. FIRESHED CENTER. 

4 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through 

6 the Chief of the Forest Service, and the Secretary of 

7 the Interior, acting through the Director of the U.S. 

8 Geological Survey, shall jointly establish a Fireshed 

9 Center (hereinafter referred to as the ‘‘Center’’) com10 prised of at least one career representative from each 

11 of the following: 

12 (A) The Forest Service. 

13 (B) The Bureau of Land Management. 

14 (C) The National Park Service. 

15 (D) The Bureau of Indian Affairs. 

16 (E) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

17 (F) The U.S. Geological Survey. 

18 (G) The Department of Defense. 

19 (H) The Department of Homeland Security. 

20 (I) The Department of Energy. 

21 (J) The Federal Emergency Management 

22 Agency. 

23 (K) The National Science Foundation. 

24 (L) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

25 Administration. 


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1 (M) The National Aeronautics and Space 

2 Administration. 

3 (N) The National Institute of Standards 

4 and Technology. 

5 (2) DIRECTOR.—The Secretary, acting through 

6 the Chief of the Forest Service, and the Secretary of 

7 the Interior, acting through the Director of the U.S. 

8 Geological Survey, shall jointly appoint a Director of 

9 the Center, who— 

10 (A) shall be an employee of the U.S. Geo11 logical Survey or the Forest Service; 

12 (B) shall serve an initial term of not more 

13 than 7 years; and 

14 (C) may serve one additional term of not 

15 more than 7 years after the initial term de16 scribed in subparagraph (B). 

17 (3) ADDITIONAL REPRESENTATION.—The Sec18 retary, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service 

19 and the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the 

20 Director of the U.S. Geological Survey, may jointly 

21 appoint additional representatives of Federal agencies 

22 to the Center, as the Secretaries determine necessary. 

23 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the Center are to— 


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1 (1) comprehensively assess and predict fire and 

2 smoke in the wildland and built environment inter3 face across jurisdictions to inform— 

4 (A) land and fuels management; 

5 (B) community, public health, and built en6 vironment risk reduction; and 

7 (C) fire response and post-fire recovery; 

8 (2) provide data aggregation, real-time pre9 dictive services, and science-based decision support 

10 services; 

11 (3) reduce fragmentation and duplication across 

12 Federal land management agencies with respect to 

13 predictive service and decision support functions re14 lated to wildland fire and smoke; 

15 (4) promote coordination and sharing of data re16 garding wildland fire and smoke decision making be17 tween Federal agencies, States, Indian Tribes, local 

18 governments, academic or research institutions, and 

19 private entities; 

20 (5) streamline procurement processes and cyber21 security systems related to addressing wildland fire 

22 and smoke; 

23 (6) provide publicly accessible data, models, tech24 nologies (including mapping technologies), assess25 ments, and fire weather forecasts to support shortVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:16 Sep 12, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H8790.RH H8790

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1 and long-term planning regarding wildland fire and 

2 smoke risk reduction and post-fire recovery; and 

3 (7) maintain the Fireshed Registry established 

4 under section 103. 

5 (c) MEMORANDA OF UNDERSTANDING.—The Center 

6 may enter into memorandums of understanding, contracts, 

7 or other agreements with State governments, Indian Tribes, 

8 local governments, academic or research institutions, and 

9 private entities to improve the information and operations 

10 of the Center. 

11 (d) ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT, TECHNICAL SERVICES, 

12 AND STAFF SUPPORT.— 

13 (1) USGS SUPPORT.—The Secretary of the Inte14 rior shall make personnel of the U.S. Geological Sur15 vey available to the Center for such administrative 

16 support, technical services, and development and dis17 semination of data as the Secretary determines nec18 essary to carry out this section. 

19 (2) USFS SUPPORT.—The Secretary shall make 

20 personnel of the Forest Service available to the Center 

21 for such administrative support, technical services, 

22 and the development and dissemination of informa23 tion related to fireshed management and the Fireshed 

24 Registry as the Secretary determines necessary to 

25 carry out this section. 


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1 SEC. 103. FIRESHED REGISTRY. 

2 (a) FIRESHED REGISTRY.—The Secretary, acting 

3 through the Director of the Fireshed Center appointed under 

4 section 102, shall maintain a Fireshed Registry on a pub5 licly accessible website that provides interactive geospatial 

6 data on individual firesheds, including information on— 

7 (1) wildfire exposure delineated by ownership, 

8 including rights-of-way for utilities and other public 

9 or private purposes; 

10 (2) any hazardous fuels management activities 

11 that have occurred within an individual fireshed in 

12 the past 10 years; 

13 (3) wildfire exposure with respect to such 

14 fireshed delineated by— 

15 (A) wildfire exposure and corresponding 

16 risk to communities, including risk to structures 

17 and life; 

18 (B) wildfire exposure and corresponding 

19 risk to municipal watersheds, including tribal 

20 water supplies and systems; and 

21 (C) risk of forest conversion due to wildfire; 

22 (4) the percentage of the fireshed that has burned 

23 in wildfires in the past 10 years, including, to the ex24 tent practicable, delineations of acres that have 

25 burned at a high severity; 


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1 (5) spatial patterns of wildfire exposure, includ2 ing plausible extreme fire events; and 

3 (6) any hazardous fuels management activities 

4 planned for the fireshed, including fireshed manage5 ment projects. 

6 (b) COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLANS.—The 

7 Director shall make data from the Fireshed Registry avail8 able to local communities developing or updating commu9 nity wildfire protection plans. 

10 (c) REQUIREMENT TO MAINTAIN.—As part of the 

11 website containing the Fireshed Registry, the Director 

12 shall— 

13 (1) publish fireshed assessments created under 

14 section 105; and 

15 (2) maintain a searchable database to track— 

16 (A) the status of Federal environmental re17 views, permits, and authorizations for fireshed 

18 management projects, including— 

19 (i) a comprehensive permitting time20 table; 

21 (ii) the status of the compliance of each 

22 lead agency, cooperating agency, and par23 ticipating agency with the permitting time24 table with respect to such fireshed manage25 ment projects; 


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1 (iii) any modifications of the permit2 ting timetable required under clause (i), in3 cluding an explanation as to why the per4 mitting timetable was modified; and 

5 (iv) information about project-related 

6 public meetings, public hearings, and public 

7 comment periods, which shall be presented 

8 in English and the predominant language 

9 of the community or communities most af10 fected by the project, as that information be11 comes available; 

12 (B) the projected cost of such fireshed man13 agement projects; and 

14 (C) in the case of completed fireshed man15 agement projects, the effectiveness of such projects 

16 in reducing the wildfire exposure within an ap17 plicable fireshed, including wildfire exposure de18 scribed in subparagraphs (A) through (C) of sub19 section (a)(3). 

20 (d) RELIANCE ON EXISTING ASSESSMENTS.—In car21 rying out this section, the Director may rely on assessments 

22 completed or data gather through existing partnerships, to 

23 the extent practicable. 


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1 SEC. 104. SHARED STEWARDSHIP. 

2 (a) JOINT AGREEMENTS.—Not later than 90 days after 

3 receiving a written request from a Governor of a State or 

4 an Indian Tribe, the Secretary concerned shall enter into 

5 a shared stewardship agreement (or similar agreement) 

6 with such Governor or Indian Tribe to jointly— 

7 (1) promote the reduction of wildfire exposure, 

8 based on the criteria in section 101(a)(1)(B), in 

9 fireshed management areas across jurisdictional 

10 boundaries; and 

11 (2) conduct fireshed assessments under section 

12 105. 

13 (b) ADDITIONAL FIRESHED MANAGEMENT AREAS.— 

14 With respect to a shared stewardship agreement (or similar 

15 agreement) with a Governor of a State or an Indian Tribe 

16 entered into under subsection (a), the Secretary concerned, 

17 if requested by such Governor or Indian Tribe, may— 

18 (1) designate additional fireshed management 

19 areas under such agreement; and 

20 (2) update such agreement to address new wild21 fire threats. 

22 SEC. 105. FIRESHED ASSESSMENTS. 

23 (a) FIRESHED ASSESSMENTS.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 

25 the date on which the Secretary concerned enters into 

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1 dian Tribe under section 104, the Secretary concerned 

2 and such Governor or Indian Tribe shall, with respect 

3 to the fireshed management areas designated in such 

4 State, jointly conduct a fireshed assessment that— 

5 (A) identifies— 

6 (i) using the best available science, 

7 wildfire exposure risks within each such 

8 fireshed management area, including sce9 nario planning and wildfire hazard map10 ping and models; and 

11 (ii) each at-risk community within 

12 each fireshed management area; 

13 (B) identifies potential fireshed manage14 ment projects to be carried out in such fireshed 

15 management areas, giving priority— 

16 (i) primarily, to projects with the pur17 pose of reducing— 

18 (I) wildfire exposure and cor19 responding risk to communities, in20 cluding risk to structures and life; 

21 (II) wildfire exposure and cor22 responding risk to municipal water23 sheds, including tribal water supplies 

24 and systems; 


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1 (III) risk of forest conversion due 

2 to wildfire; or 

3 (IV) any combination of purposes 

4 described in subclauses (I) through 

5 (III); and 

6 (ii) secondarily, to projects with the 

7 purpose of protecting— 

8 (I) critical infrastructure, includ9 ing utility infrastructure; 

10 (II) wildlife habitats, including 

11 habitat for species listed under the En12 dangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 

13 et seq.); 

14 (III) the built environment, in15 cluding residential and commercial 

16 buildings; 

17 (IV) resources of an Indian Tribe, 

18 as defined by the Indian Tribe; or 

19 (V) any combination of purposes 

20 described in subclauses (I) through 

21 (IV); 

22 (C) includes— 

23 (i) a strategy for reducing the threat of 

24 wildfire to at-risk communities in the 


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1 wildland-urban interface on both Federal 

2 and non-Federal land; 

3 (ii) a timeline for the implementation 

4 of fireshed management projects; 

5 (iii) long-term benchmark goals for the 

6 completion of fireshed management projects 

7 in the highest wildfire exposure areas so 

8 that such projects contribute to the develop9 ment and maintenance of healthy and resil10 ient landscapes; and 

11 (iv) policies to ensure fireshed manage12 ment projects comply with applicable forest 

13 plans and incorporate the best available 

14 science; 

15 (D) shall be regularly updated based on the 

16 best available science, as determined by the Sec17 retary concerned; and 

18 (E) shall be publicly available on a website 

19 maintained by the Secretary concerned. 

20 (2) LOCAL GOVERNMENT PARTICIPATION.—Upon 

21 the written request of a local government, the Sec22 retary concerned and the Governor of the State in 

23 which the local government is located may allow such 

24 local government to participate in producing the 


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1 fireshed assessment under paragraph (1) for such 

2 State. 

3 (3) INFORMATION IMPROVEMENT.— 

4 (A) MEMORANDUMS OF UNDERSTANDING.— 

5 In carrying out a fireshed assessment under this 

6 subsection, the Secretary concerned may enter 

7 into memorandums of understanding with other 

8 Federal agencies or departments, States, Indian 

9 Tribes, private entities, or research or edu10 cational institutions to improve, with respect to 

11 such assessment, the use and integration of— 

12 (i) advanced remote sensing and 

13 geospatial technologies; 

14 (ii) statistical modeling and analysis; 

15 or 

16 (iii) any other technology or combina17 tion of technologies and analyses that the 

18 Secretary concerned determines will benefit 

19 the quality of information of such an assess20 ment. 

21 (B) BEST AVAILABLE SCIENCE.—In using 

22 the best available science for the fireshed assess23 ments completed under subsection (a)(1), the 

24 Secretary concerned and Governor shall, to the 

25 maximum extent practicable, incorporate— 


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1 (i) traditional ecological knowledge 

2 from Indian Tribes; 

3 (ii) data from State forest action plans 

4 and State wildfire risk assessments; 

5 (iii) data from the Fireshed Registry 

6 maintained under section 103; and 

7 (iv) data from other Federal, State, 

8 Tribal, and local governments or agencies. 

9 (b) APPLICABILITY OF NEPA.—Fireshed assessments 

10 conducted under this section shall not be subject to the re11 quirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 

12 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). 

13 SEC. 106. EMERGENCY FIRESHED MANAGEMENT. 

14 (a) FIRESHED MANAGEMENT PROJECTS.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary concerned, act16 ing through a responsible official, shall carry out 

17 fireshed management projects in fireshed management 

18 areas designated under section 101 in accordance 

19 with this section. 

20 (2) FIRESHED MANAGEMENT PROJECTS.—The re21 sponsible official shall carry out the following forest 

22 and vegetation management activities as fireshed 

23 management projects under this section: 

24 (A) Conducting hazardous fuels manage25 ment activities. 


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1 (B) Creating fuel breaks and fire breaks. 

2 (C) Removing hazard trees, dead trees, 

3 dying trees, or trees at risk of dying, as deter4 mined by the responsible official. 

5 (D) Developing, approving, or conducting 

6 routine maintenance under a vegetation manage7 ment, facility inspection, and operation and 

8 maintenance plan submitted under section 

9 512(c)(1) of the Federal Land Policy and Man10 agement Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1772(c)(1)). 

11 (E) Removing trees to address overstocking 

12 or crowding in a forest stand, consistent with the 

13 appropriate basal area of the forest stand as de14 termined by the responsible official. 

15 (F) Using chemical or re-seeding and plant16 ing treatments to address insects and disease and 

17 control vegetation competition or invasive spe18 cies. 

19 (G) Any activities recommended by an ap20 plicable fireshed assessment carried out under 

21 section 105. 

22 (H) Any activities recommended by an ap23 plicable community wildfire protection plan. 

24 (I) Any combination of activities described 

25 in this paragraph. 


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1 (3) EMERGENCY FIRESHED MANAGEMENT.— 

2 (A) IN GENERAL.—For any fireshed man3 agement area designated under section 101, the 

4 following shall have the force and effect of law: 

5 (i) Section 220.4(b) of title 36, Code of 

6 Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date 

7 of enactment of this Act), with respect to 

8 lands under the jurisdiction of the Sec9 retary. 

10 (ii) Section 46.150 of title 43, Code of 

11 Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date 

12 of enactment of this Act), with respect to 

13 lands under the jurisdiction of the Secretary 

14 of the Interior. 

15 (iii) Section 402.05 of title 50, Code of 

16 Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date 

17 of enactment of this Act). 

18 (iv) Section 800.12 of title 36, Code of 

19 Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date 

20 of enactment of this Act). 

21 (B) UTILIZATION OF EXISTING STREAM22 LINED AUTHORITIES IN FIRESHED MANAGEMENT

23 AREAS.— 

24 (i) IN GENERAL.—Fireshed manage25 ment projects carried out under this section 


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1 shall be considered authorized projects 

2 under the following categorical exclusions: 

3 (I) Section 603(a) of the Healthy 

4 Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 

5 U.S.C. 6591b(a)). 

6 (II) Section 605(a) of the Healthy 

7 Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 

8 U.S.C. 6591d(a)). 

9 (III) Section 606(b) of the 

10 Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 

11 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591e(b)). 

12 (IV) Section 40806(b) of the In13 frastructure Investment and Jobs Act 

14 (16 U.S.C. 6592b(b)). 

15 (V) Section 4(c)(4) of the Lake 

16 Tahoe Restoration Act (Public Law 

17 106–506; 114 Stat. 2353). 

18 (VI) Subject to subsection (d) of 

19 section 40807 of the Infrastructure In20 vestment and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 

21 6592c) in the same manner as author22 ized emergency actions (as defined in 

23 subsection (a) of such section) are sub24 ject to such subsection. 


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1 (ii) USE OF EXPEDITED AUTHORI2 TIES.—In carrying out a fireshed manage3 ment project, the Secretary shall apply a 

4 categorical exclusion under clause (i)— 

5 (I) in a manner consistent with 

6 the statute establishing such categorical 

7 exclusion; and 

8 (II) in any area— 

9 (aa) designated as suitable 

10 for timber production within the 

11 applicable forest plan; or 

12 (bb) where timber harvest ac13 tivities are not prohibited. 

14 (iii) FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT RE15 QUIREMENTS.—In carrying out this section, 

16 the Secretary concerned shall ensure compli17 ance with the amendments made to the Na18 tional Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 

19 4321 et seq.) by the Fiscal Responsibility 

20 Act of 2023 (Public Law 118–5). 

21 (iv) USE OF OTHER AUTHORITIES.— 

22 To the maximum extent practicable, the 

23 Secretary concerned shall use the authorities 

24 provided under this section in combination 


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1 with other authorities to carry out fireshed 

2 management projects, including— 

3 (I) good neighbor agreements en4 tered into under section 8206 of the 

5 Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 

6 2113a) (as amended by this Act); 

7 (II) stewardship contracting 

8 projects entered into under section 604 

9 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act 

10 of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591c) (as amended 

11 by this Act); 

12 (III) self-determination contracts 

13 and self-governance compact agree14 ments entered into under the Indian 

15 Self-Determination and Education As16 sistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.); 

17 and 

18 (IV) agreements entered into 

19 under the Tribal Forest Protection Act 

20 of 2004 (25 U.S.C. 3115a et seq.). 

21 (b) EXPANSION.— 

22 (1) HFRA AMENDMENTS.—The Healthy Forests 

23 Restoration Act of 2003 is amended— 


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1 (A) in section 603(c)(1) (16 U.S.C. 

2 6591b(c)(1)), by striking ‘‘3000 acres’’ and in3 serting ‘‘10,000 acres’’; 

4 (B) in section 605(c)(1) (16 U.S.C. 

5 6591d(c)(1)), by striking ‘‘3000 acres’’ and in6 serting ‘‘10,000 acres’’; and 

7 (C) in section 606(g) (16 U.S.C. 6591e(g)), 

8 by striking ‘‘4,500 acres’’ and inserting ‘‘10,000 

9 acres’’. 

10 (2) INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND JOBS

11 ACT AMENDMENT.—Section 40806(d)(1) of the Infra12 structure Investment and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 

13 6592b(d)(1)), by striking ‘‘3,000 acres’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘10,000 acres’’. 

15 (3) LAKE TAHOE RESTORATION ACT AMEND16 MENTS.—Section 4(c)(4)(C) of the Lake Tahoe Res17 toration Act (Public Law 106–506; 114 Stat. 2353) 

18 is amended— 

19 (A) by striking ‘‘Lake Tahoe Basin Manage20 ment Unit’’; and 

21 (B) by inserting ‘‘applicable to the area’’ 

22 before the period at the end. 


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1 SEC. 107. SUNSET. 

2 The authority under this subtitle shall terminate on 

3 the date that is 7 years after the date of enactment of this 

4 Act. 

5 Subtitle B—Expanding Collabo6 rative Tools to Reduce Wildfire 

7 Risk and Improve Forest Health 

8 SEC. 111. MODIFICATION OF THE TREATMENT OF CERTAIN 

9 REVENUE AND PAYMENTS UNDER GOOD 

10 NEIGHBOR AGREEMENTS. 

11 (a) GOOD NEIGHBOR AUTHORITY.—Section 8206 of 

12 the Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a) is amend13 ed— 

14 (1) in subsection (a)(6), by striking ‘‘or Indian 

15 tribe’’; and 

16 (2) in subsection (b)— 

17 (A) in paragraph (1)(A), by inserting ‘‘, In18 dian tribe,’’ after ‘‘Governor’’; 

19 (B) in paragraph (2)(C)— 

20 (i) by striking clause (i) and inserting 

21 the following: 

22 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Funds received 

23 from the sale of timber or forest product by 

24 a Governor, an Indian tribe, or a county 

25 under a good neighbor agreement shall be 


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1 retained and used by the Governor, Indian 

2 tribe, or county, as applicable— 

3 ‘‘(I) to carry out authorized res4 toration services under the good neigh5 bor agreement; and 

6 ‘‘(II) if there are funds remaining 

7 after carrying out subclause (I), to 

8 carry out authorized restoration serv9 ices under other good neighbor agree10 ments and for the administration of a 

11 good neighbor authority program by a 

12 Governor, Indian tribe, or county.’’; 

13 and 

14 (ii) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘2024’’ 

15 and inserting ‘‘2029’’; 

16 (C) in paragraph (3), by inserting ‘‘, In17 dian tribe,’’ after ‘‘Governor’’; and 

18 (D) by striking paragraph (4). 

19 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 8206(a) of 

20 the Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a(a)) is 

21 amended— 

22 (1) in paragraph (1)(B), by inserting ‘‘, Indian 

23 tribe,’’ after ‘‘Governor’’; and 

24 (2) in paragraph (5), by inserting ‘‘, Indian 

25 tribe,’’ after ‘‘Governor’’. 


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1 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by this 

2 section apply to any project initiated pursuant to a good 

3 neighbor agreement (as defined in section 8206(a) of the 

4 Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a(a)))— 

5 (1) before the date of enactment of this Act, if the 

6 project was initiated after the date of enactment of 

7 the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Public 

8 Law 115–334; 132 Stat. 4490); or 

9 (2) on or after the date of enactment of this Act. 

10 SEC. 112. FIXING STEWARDSHIP END RESULT CON11 TRACTING. 

12 Section 604 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 

13 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591c) is amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (b), by inserting ‘‘, including 

15 retaining and expanding existing forest products in16 frastructure’’ before the period at the end; 

17 (2) in subsection (d)(3)(B), by striking ‘‘10 

18 years’’ and inserting ‘‘20 years’’; and 

19 (3) in subsection (h), by adding at the end the 

20 following: 

21 ‘‘(4) SPECIAL RULE FOR LONG-TERM STEWARD22 SHIP CONTRACTS.— 

23 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A long-term agreement 

24 or contract entered into with an entity under 

25 subsection (b) by the Chief or the Director shall 


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1 provide that in the case of the cancellation or 

2 termination by the Chief or the Director of such 

3 long-term agreement or contract, the Chief or the 

4 Director, as applicable, shall provide 10 percent 

5 of the agreement or contract amount to such en6 tity as cancellation or termination costs. 

7 ‘‘(B) DEFINITION OF LONG-TERM AGREE8 MENT OR CONTRACT.—In this paragraph, the 

9 term ‘long-term agreement or contract’ means an 

10 agreement or contract under subsection (b)— 

11 ‘‘(i) with a term of more than 5 years; 

12 and 

13 ‘‘(ii) entered into on or after the date 

14 of the enactment of this paragraph.’’. 

15 SEC. 113. INTRA-AGENCY STRIKE TEAMS. 

16 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary concerned shall 

17 establish intra-agency strike teams to assist the Secretary 

18 concerned with— 

19 (1) any reviews, including analysis under the 

20 National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 

21 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), consultations under the National 

22 Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 470 et 

23 seq.), and consultations under the Endangered Species 

24 Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), with the intent 


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1 to accelerate and streamline interagency consultation 

2 processes; 

3 (2) the implementation of any necessary site 

4 preparation work in advance of or as part of a 

5 fireshed management project; 

6 (3) the implementation of fireshed management 

7 projects under such section; and 

8 (4) any combination of purposes under para9 graphs (1) through (3). 

10 (b) MEMBERS.—The Secretary concerned may appoint 

11 not more than 10 individuals to serve on an intra-agency 

12 strike team comprised of— 

13 (1) employees of the Department under the juris14 diction of the Secretary concerned; 

15 (2) employees of a different Federal agency, with 

16 the consent of that agency’s Secretary; 

17 (3) private contractors from any nonprofit orga18 nization, State government, Indian Tribe, local gov19 ernment, quasi-governmental agency, academic insti20 tution, or private organization; and 

21 (4) volunteers from any nonprofit organization, 

22 State government, Indian Tribe, local government, 

23 quasi-governmental agency, academic institution, or 

24 private organization. 


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1 (c) SUNSET.—The authority provided under this sec2 tion shall terminate on the date that is 7 years after the 

3 date of enactment of this Act. 

4 SEC. 114. LOCALLY-LED RESTORATION. 

5 (a) THRESHOLD ADJUSTMENT.—Section 14(d) of the 

6 National Forest Management Act of 1976 (16 U.S.C. 

7 472a(d)) is amended by— 

8 (1) striking ‘‘$10,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$55,000’’; 

9 and 

10 (2) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘Begin11 ning on January 1, 2025, and annually thereafter, 

12 the amount in the first sentence of this subsection 

13 shall be adjusted by the Secretary for changes in the 

14 Consumer Price Index of All Urban Consumers pub15 lished by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the De16 partment of Labor.’’. 

17 (b) FIRESHED MANAGEMENT PROJECTS.—Beginning 

18 on the date that is 30 days after the date of enactment of 

19 this Act, the Secretary shall solicit bids under section 14 

20 of the National Forest Management Act of 1976 (16 U.S.C. 

21 472a(d)) for fireshed management projects under section 

22 106. 


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1 SEC. 115. JOINT CHIEFS LANDSCAPE RESTORATION PART2 NERSHIP PROGRAM. 

3 Section 40808 of the Infrastructure Investment and 

4 Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 6592d) is amended— 

5 (1) in subsection (a)(2)— 

6 (A) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘or’’ 

7 at the end; 

8 (B) in subparagraph (C), by striking the 

9 period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

10 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(D) to recover from wildfires; or 

12 ‘‘(E) to enhance soil, water, and related 

13 natural resources.’’; 

14 (2) in subsection (d)(1)— 

15 (A) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘and 

16 post-wildfire impacts’’ after ‘‘wildfire risk’’; and 

17 (B) in subparagraph (F), by inserting ‘‘, as 

18 identified in the corresponding State forest ac19 tion plan or similar priority plan (such as a 

20 State wildlife or water plan)’’ before the semi21 colon; 

22 (3) in subsection (g)(2), by inserting ‘‘and at 

23 least once every 2 fiscal years thereafter’’ after ‘‘and 

24 2023’’; and 

25 (4) in subsection (h)(1), by striking ‘‘and 2023’’ 

26 and inserting ‘‘through 2028’’. 


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1 SEC. 116. COLLABORATIVE FOREST LANDSCAPE RESTORA2 TION PROGRAM. 

3 Section 4003 of the Omnibus Public Land Manage4 ment Act of 2009 (16 U.S.C. 7303) is amended— 

5 (1) in subsection (b)(3)— 

6 (A) in subparagraph (D), by striking ‘‘spe7 cies;’’ and inserting ‘‘species or pathogens;’’; 

8 (B) in subparagraph (G), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

9 at the end; 

10 (C) in subparagraph (H), by adding ‘‘and’’ 

11 after the semicolon at the end; and 

12 (D) by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(I) address standardized monitoring ques14 tions and indicators;’’; 

15 (2) in subsection (c)(3)(A)— 

16 (A) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

17 end; 

18 (B) in clause (ii), by adding ‘‘and’’ at the 

19 end; and 

20 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘(iii) include a plan to provide sup22 port to collaborative processes established 

23 pursuant to subsection (b)(2);’’; 

24 (3) in subsection (d)— 

25 (A) in paragraph (2)— 


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1 (i) in subparagraph (E), by striking 

2 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

3 (ii) in subparagraph (F), by striking 

4 the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; 

5 and 

6 (iii) by adding at the end the fol7 lowing: 

8 ‘‘(G) proposals that seek to use innovative 

9 implementation mechanisms, including good 

10 neighbor agreements entered into under section 

11 8206 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 

12 2113a); 

13 ‘‘(H) proposals that seek to reduce the risk 

14 of uncharacteristic wildfire or increase ecological 

15 restoration activities— 

16 ‘‘(i) within areas across land owner17 ships, including State, Tribal, and private 

18 land; and 

19 ‘‘(ii) within the wildland-urban inter20 face (as defined in section 101 of the 

21 Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 

22 U.S.C. 6511)); and 

23 ‘‘(I) proposals that seek to enhance water24 shed health and drinking water sources.’’; and 

25 (B) in paragraph (3)— 


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1 (i) by amending subparagraph (A) to 

2 read as follows: 

3 ‘‘(A) 4 proposals in any 1 region of the Na4 tional Forest System to be funded during any 

5 fiscal year; and’’; 

6 (ii) by striking subparagraph (B); and 

7 (iii) by redesignating subparagraph 

8 (C) as subparagraph (B); and 

9 (4) in subsection (f)(6), by striking ‘‘2019 

10 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2023 through 2029’’. 

11 Subtitle C—Litigation Reform 

12 SEC. 121. COMMONSENSE LITIGATION REFORM. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—A court shall not enjoin a covered 

14 agency action if the court determines that the plaintiff is 

15 unable to demonstrate that the claim of the plaintiff is like16 ly to succeed on the merits. 

17 (b) BALANCING SHORT-AND LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF

18 COVERED AGENCY ACTION IN CONSIDERING INJUNCTIVE

19 RELIEF.—As part of its weighing the equities while consid20 ering any request for an injunction that applies to a covered 

21 agency action, the court reviewing such action shall balance 

22 the impact to the ecosystem likely affected by such action 

23 of— 

24 (1) the short- and long-term effects of under25 taking such action; against 


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1 (2) the short- and long-term effects of not under2 taking such action. 

3 (c) LIMITATIONS ON JUDICIAL REVIEW.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 

5 provision of law (except this section), in the case of 

6 a claim arising under Federal law seeking judicial re7 view of a covered agency action— 

8 (A) a court shall not hold unlawful, set 

9 aside, or otherwise limit, delay, stay, vacate, or 

10 enjoin such agency action unless the court deter11 mines that— 

12 (i) such action poses or will pose a risk 

13 of a proximate and substantial environ14 mental harm; and 

15 (ii) there is no other equitable remedy 

16 available as a matter of law; and 

17 (B) if a court determines that subparagraph 

18 (A) does not apply to the covered agency action 

19 the only remedy the court may order with regard 

20 to such agency action is to remand the matter to 

21 the agency with instructions to, during the 180- 

22 day period beginning on the date of the order, 

23 take such additional actions as may be necessary 

24 to redress any legal wrong suffered by, or adverse 

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1 tions may not include the preparation of a new 

2 agency document unless the court finds the agen3 cy was required and failed to prepare such agen4 cy document. 

5 (2) EFFECT OF REMAND.—In the case of a cov6 ered agency action to which paragraph (1)(B) ap7 plies, the agency may— 

8 (A) continue to carry out such agency ac9 tion to the extent the action does not impact the 

10 additional actions required pursuant to such 

11 paragraph; and 

12 (B) if the agency action relates to an agen13 cy document, use any format to correct such doc14 ument (including a supplemental environmental 

15 document, memorandum, or errata sheet). 

16 (d) LIMITATIONS ON CLAIMS.—Notwithstanding any 

17 other provision of law (except this section), a claim arising 

18 under Federal law seeking judicial review of a covered agen19 cy action shall be barred unless— 

20 (1) with respect to an agency document or the 

21 application of a categorical exclusion noticed in the 

22 Federal Register, such claim is filed not later than 

23 120 days after the date of publication of a notice in 

24 the Federal Register of agency intent to carry out the 

25 fireshed management project relating to such agency 


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1 document or application, unless a shorter period is 

2 specified in such Federal law; 

3 (2) in the case of an agency document or the ap4 plication of a categorical exclusion not described in 

5 paragraph (1), such claim is filed not later than 120 

6 days after the date that is the earlier of— 

7 (A) the date on which such agency docu8 ment or application is published; and 

9 (B) the date on which such agency docu10 ment or application is noticed; and 

11 (3) in the case of a covered agency action for 

12 which there was a public comment period, such 

13 claim— 

14 (A) is filed by a party that— 

15 (i) participated in the administrative 

16 proceedings regarding the fireshed manage17 ment project relating to such action; and 

18 (ii) submitted a comment during such 

19 public comment period and such comment 

20 was sufficiently detailed to put the applica21 ble agency on notice of the issue upon which 

22 the party seeks judicial review; and 

23 (B) is related to such comment. 

24 (e) DEFINITIONS.—ln this section: 


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1 (1) AGENCY DOCUMENT.—The term ‘‘agency doc2 ument’’ means, with respect to a fireshed management 

3 project, a record of decision, environmental document, 

4 or programmatic environmental document. 

5 (2) COVERED AGENCY ACTION.—The term ‘‘cov6 ered agency action’’ means— 

7 (A) the establishment of a fireshed manage8 ment project by an agency; 

9 (B) the application of a categorical exclu10 sion to a fireshed management project; 

11 (C) the preparation of any agency docu12 ment for a fireshed management project; or 

13 (D) any other agency action as part of a 

14 fireshed management project. 

15 (3) NEPA TERMS.—The terms ‘‘categorical ex16 clusion’’, ‘‘environmental document’’, and ‘‘pro17 grammatic environmental document’’ have the mean18 ings given such terms, respectively, in section 111 of 

19 the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 

20 U.S.C. 4336e). 

21 SEC. 122. CONSULTATION ON FOREST PLANS. 

22 (a) FOREST SERVICE PLANS.—Section 6(d)(2) of the 

23 Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act 

24 of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1604(d)(2)) is amended to read as fol25 lows: 


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1 ‘‘(2) NO ADDITIONAL CONSULTATION REQUIRED

2 UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES.—Notwithstanding 

3 any other provision of law, the Secretary shall not be 

4 required to reinitiate consultation under section 

5 7(a)(2) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 

6 U.S.C. 1536(a)(2)) or section 402.16 of title 50, Code 

7 of Federal Regulations (or a successor regulation), on 

8 a land management plan approved, amended, or re9 vised under this section when— 

10 ‘‘(A) a new species is listed or critical habi11 tat is designated under the Endangered Species 

12 Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); or 

13 ‘‘(B) new information reveals effects of the 

14 land management plan that may affect a species 

15 listed or critical habitat designated under that 

16 Act in a manner or to an extent not previously 

17 considered.’’. 

18 (b) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT PLANS.—Section 

19 202 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 

20 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712) is amended by adding at the end 

21 the following: 

22 ‘‘(g) NO ADDITIONAL CONSULTATION REQUIRED

23 UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES.—Notwithstanding any 

24 other provision of law, the Secretary shall not be required 

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1 dangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1536(a)(2)) or sec2 tion 402.16 of title 50, Code of Federal Regulations (or a 

3 successor regulation), on a land use plan approved, amend4 ed, or revised under this section when— 

5 ‘‘(1) a new species is listed or critical habitat is 

6 designated under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 

7 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); or 

8 ‘‘(2) new information reveals effects of the land 

9 use plan that may affect a species listed or critical 

10 habitat designated under that Act in a manner or to 

11 an extent not previously considered.’’. 

12 TITLE II—PROTECTING COMMU13 NITIES IN THE WILDLAND14 URBAN INTERFACE 

15 SEC. 201. COMMUNITY WILDFIRE RISK REDUCTION PRO16 GRAM. 

17 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 30 days after 

18 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall joint19 ly establish an interagency program to be known as the 

20 ‘‘Community Wildfire Risk Reduction Program’’ that shall 

21 consist of at least one representative from each of the fol22 lowing: 

23 (1) The Office of Wildland Fire of the Depart24 ment of the Interior. 

25 (2) The National Park Service. 


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1 (3) The Bureau of Land Management. 

2 (4) The United States Fish and Wildlife Service. 

3 (5) The Bureau of Indian Affairs. 

4 (6) The Forest Service. 

5 (7) The Federal Emergency Management Agency. 

6 (8) The United States Fire Administration. 

7 (9) The National Institute of Standards and 

8 Technology. 

9 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the program established 

10 under subsection (a) is to support interagency coordination 

11 in reducing the risk of, and the damages resulting from, 

12 wildfires in communities (including tribal communities) in 

13 the wildland-urban interface through— 

14 (1) advancing research and science in wildfire 

15 resilience and land management, including support 

16 for non-Federal research partnerships; 

17 (2) supporting adoption by Indian Tribes and 

18 local governmental entities of fire-resistant building 

19 methods, codes, and standards; 

20 (3) supporting efforts by Indian Tribes or local 

21 governmental entities to address the effects of 

22 wildland fire on such communities, including prop23 erty damages, air quality, and water quality; 


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1 (4) encouraging public-private partnerships to 

2 conduct hazardous fuels management activities in the 

3 wildland-urban interface; 

4 (5) providing technical and financial assistance 

5 targeted towards communities, including tribal com6 munities, through streamlined and unified technical 

7 assistance and grant management mechanisms, in8 cluding the portal and grant application established 

9 under subsection (c), to— 

10 (A) encourage critical risk reduction meas11 ures on private property with high wildfire risk 

12 exposure in such communities; and 

13 (B) mitigate costs for and improve capacity 

14 among such communities. 

15 (c) PORTAL AND UNIFORM GRANT APPLICATION.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—As part of the program estab17 lished under subsection (a), the Secretaries and the 

18 Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management 

19 Agency shall establish a portal through which a per20 son may submit a single, uniform application for any 

21 of the following: 

22 (A) A community wildfire defense grant 

23 under section 40803(f) of the Infrastructure In24 vestment and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 6592(f)). 


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1 (B) An emergency management perform2 ance grant under section 662 of the Post-Katrina 

3 Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (6 

4 U.S.C. 761). 

5 (C) A grant under section 33 of the Federal 

6 Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 

7 U.S.C. 2229). 

8 (D) A grant under section 34 of the Federal 

9 Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 

10 U.S.C. 2229a). 

11 (E) Financial or technical assistance or a 

12 grant under sections 203, 205, 404, 406, or 420 

13 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 

14 Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133, 

15 5135, 5170c, 5172, 5187). 

16 (2) SIMPLIFICATION OF APPLICATION.—In estab17 lishing the portal and application under paragraph 

18 (1), the Secretaries and the Administrator shall seek 

19 to reduce the complexity and length of the application 

20 process for the grants described in paragraph (1). 

21 (3) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretaries 

22 shall provide technical assistance to communities or 

23 persons seeking to apply for financial assistance 

24 through the portal using the application established 

25 under paragraph (1). 


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1 (d) SUNSET.—The program established under this sec2 tion shall terminate on the date that is 7 years after the 

3 date of enactment of this Act. 

4 SEC. 202. COMMUNITY WILDFIRE DEFENSE RESEARCH PRO5 GRAM. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretaries shall, acting joint7 ly, expand the Joint Fire Science Program to include a per8 formance-driven research and development program known 

9 as the ‘‘Community Wildfire Defense Research Program’’ 

10 for the purpose of testing and advancing innovative designs 

11 to create or improve the wildfire-resistance of structures and 

12 communities. 

13 (b) PROGRAM PRIORITIES.—In carrying out the pro14 gram established under subsection (a), the Secretaries shall 

15 evaluate opportunities to create wildfire-resistant structures 

16 and communities through— 

17 (1) different affordable building materials, in18 cluding mass timber; 

19 (2) home hardening, including policies to 

20 incentivize and incorporate defensible space; 

21 (3) subdivision design and other land use plan22 ning and design; 

23 (4) landscape architecture; and 

24 (5) other wildfire-resistant designs, as deter25 mined by the Secretary. 


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1 (c) COMMUNITY WILDFIRE DEFENSE INNOVATION

2 PRIZE.— 

3 (1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the program 

4 established under subsection (a), the Secretaries shall 

5 carry out a competition through which a person may 

6 submit to the Secretaries innovative designs for the 

7 creation or improvement of an ignition-resistant 

8 structure or fire-adapted communities. 

9 (2) PRIZE.—Subject to the availability of appro10 priations made in advance for such purpose, the Sec11 retaries may award a prize under the competition de12 scribed in paragraph (1), based on criteria established 

13 by the Secretaries and in accordance with paragraph 

14 (3). 

15 (3) SCALE.—In awarding a prize under para16 graph (2), the Secretaries shall prioritize for an 

17 award designs with the most potential to scale to ex18 isting infrastructure. 

19 (d) SUNSET.—The program established under sub20 section (a) shall terminate on the date that is 7 years after 

21 the date of enactment of this Act. 


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1 SEC. 203. VEGETATION MANAGEMENT, FACILITY INSPEC2 TION, AND OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE 

3 RELATING TO ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION AND 

4 DISTRIBUTION FACILITY RIGHTS-OF-WAY. 

5 (a) HAZARD TREES WITHIN 150 FEET OF ELECTRIC

6 POWER LINE.—Section 512(a)(1)(B)(ii) of the Federal 

7 Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 

8 1772(a)(1)(B)(ii)) is amended by striking ‘‘10’’ and insert9 ing ‘‘150’’. 

10 (b) CONSULTATION WITH PRIVATE LANDOWNERS.— 

11 Section 512(c)(3)(E) of such Act (43 U.S.C. 1772(c)(3)(E)) 

12 is amended— 

13 (1) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

14 (2) in clause (ii), by striking the period and in15 serting ‘‘; and’’; and 

16 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(iii) consulting with a private land18 owner with respect to any hazard trees 

19 identified for removal from land owned by 

20 the private landowner.’’. 

21 (c) REVIEW AND APPROVAL PROCESS.—Section 

22 512(c)(4)(A)(iv) of such Act (43 U.S.C. 1772(c)(4)(A)(iv)) 

23 is amended to read as follows: 

24 ‘‘(iv) ensures that— 

25 ‘‘(I) a plan submitted without a 

26 modification under clause (iii) shall be 


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1 automatically approved 120 days after 

2 being submitted; and 

3 ‘‘(II) with respect to a plan sub4 mitted with a modification under 

5 clause (iii), if not approved within 120 

6 days after being submitted, the Sec7 retary concerned shall develop and sub8 mit a letter to the owner and operator 

9 describing— 

10 ‘‘(aa) a detailed timeline (to 

11 conclude within 165 days after the 

12 submission of the plan) for com13 pleting review of the plan; 

14 ‘‘(bb) any identified defi15 ciencies with the plan and specific 

16 opportunities for the owner and 

17 operator to address such defi18 ciencies; and 

19 ‘‘(cc) any other relevant in20 formation, as determined by the 

21 Secretary concerned.’’. 

22 SEC. 204. CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION FOR ELECTRIC UTIL23 ITY LINES RIGHTS-OF-WAY. 

24 (a) CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION ESTABLISHED.—Forest 

25 management activities described in subsection (b) are a catVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:16 Sep 12, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00052 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H8790.RH H8790

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1 egory of activities hereby designated as being categorically 

2 excluded from the preparation of an environmental assess3 ment or an environmental impact statement under section 

4 102 of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 

5 U.S.C. 4332). 

6 (b) FOREST MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES DESIGNATED

7 FOR CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION.—The forest management 

8 activities designated under subsection (a) for a categorical 

9 exclusion are— 

10 (1) the development and approval of a vegetation 

11 management, facility inspection, and operation and 

12 maintenance plan submitted under section 512(c)(1) 

13 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 

14 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1772(c)(1)) by the Secretary con15 cerned; and 

16 (2) the implementation of routine activities con17 ducted under the plan referred to in paragraph (1). 

18 (c) AVAILABILITY OF CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION.—On 

19 and after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

20 concerned may use the categorical exclusion established 

21 under subsection (a) in accordance with this section. 

22 (d) EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN AREAS FROM CATEGOR23 ICAL EXCLUSION.—The categorical exclusion established 

24 under subsection (a) shall not apply to any forest manage25 ment activity conducted— 


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1 (1) in a component of the National Wilderness 

2 Preservation System; or 

3 (2) on National Forest System lands on which 

4 the removal of vegetation is restricted or prohibited by 

5 an Act of Congress. 

6 (e) PERMANENT ROADS.— 

7 (1) PROHIBITION ON ESTABLISHMENT.—A forest 

8 management activity designated under subsection (b) 

9 shall not include the establishment of a permanent 

10 road. 

11 (2) EXISTING ROADS.—The Secretary concerned 

12 may carry out necessary maintenance and repair on 

13 an existing permanent road for the purposes of con14 ducting a forest management activity designated 

15 under subsection (b). 

16 (3) TEMPORARY ROADS.—The Secretary con17 cerned shall decommission any temporary road con18 structed for carrying out a forest management activ19 ity designated under subsection (b) not later than the 

20 date that is 3 years after the date on which the forest 

21 management activity is completed. 

22 (f) APPLICABLE LAWS.—Clauses (iii) and (iv) of sec23 tion 106(a)(3) shall apply to forest management activities 

24 designated under subsection (b). 


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1 SEC. 205. SEEDS OF SUCCESS. 

2 (a) STRATEGY ESTABLISHED.—Not later than 2 years 

3 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries and 

4 the Secretary of Defense shall jointly develop and imple5 ment a strategy, to be known as the ‘‘Seeds of Success strat6 egy’’, to enhance the domestic supply chain of seeds. 

7 (b) ELEMENTS.—The strategy required under sub8 section (a) shall include a plan for each of the following: 

9 (1) Facilitating sustained interagency coordina10 tion in, and a comprehensive approach to, native 

11 plant materials development and restoration. 

12 (2) Promoting the re-seeding of native or fire-re13 sistant vegetation post-wildfire, particularly in the 

14 wildland-urban interface. 

15 (3) Creating and consolidating information on 

16 native or fire-resistant vegetation and sharing such 

17 information with State governments, Indian Tribes, 

18 and local governments. 

19 (4) Building regional programs and partner20 ships to promote the development of materials made 

21 from plants native to the United States and restore 

22 such plants to their respective, native habitats within 

23 the United States, giving priority to the building of 

24 such programs and partnerships in regions of the Bu25 reau of Land Management where such partnerships 


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1 and programs do not already exist as of the date of 

2 enactment of this Act. 

3 (5) Expanding seed storage and seed-cleaning in4 frastructure. 

5 (6) Expanding the Warehouse System of the Bu6 reau of Land Management, particularly the cold stor7 age capacity of the Warehouse System. 

8 (7) Shortening the timeline for the approval of 

9 permits to collect seeds on public lands managed by 

10 the Bureau of Land Management. 

11 (c) REPORT.—The Secretaries and the Secretary of De12 fense shall submit to the relevant Congressional Committees 

13 the strategy developed under paragraph (1). 

14 TITLE III—TRANSPARENCY AND 

15 TECHNOLOGY 

16 SEC. 301. BIOCHAR INNOVATIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES 

17 FOR CONSERVATION, HEALTH, AND AD18 VANCEMENTS IN RESEARCH. 

19 (a) DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.— 

20 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

21 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years 

22 after the date of enactment of this Act, the cov23 ered Secretaries shall establish a program to 

24 enter into partnerships with eligible entities to 

25 carry out demonstration projects to support the 


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1 development and commercialization of biochar in 

2 accordance with this subsection. 

3 (B) LOCATION OF DEMONSTRATION

4 PROJECTS.—In carrying out the program estab5 lished under subparagraph (A), the covered Sec6 retaries shall, to the maximum extent prac7 ticable, enter into partnerships with eligible enti8 ties such that not fewer than one demonstration 

9 project is carried out in each region of the Forest 

10 Service and each region of the Bureau of Land 

11 Management. 

12 (2) PROPOSALS.—To be eligible to enter into a 

13 partnership to carry out a biochar demonstration 

14 project under paragraph (1)(A), an eligible entity 

15 shall submit to the covered Secretaries a proposal at 

16 such time, in such manner, and containing such in17 formation as the covered Secretaries may require. 

18 (3) PRIORITY.—In selecting proposals under 

19 paragraph (2), the covered Secretaries shall give pri20 ority to entering into partnerships with eligible enti21 ties that submit proposals to carry out biochar dem22 onstration projects that— 

23 (A) have the most carbon sequestration po24 tential; 


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1 (B) have the most potential to create new 

2 jobs and contribute to local economies, particu3 larly in rural areas; 

4 (C) have the most potential to dem5 onstrate— 

6 (i) new and innovative uses of biochar; 

7 (ii) market viability for cost effective 

8 biochar-based products; 

9 (iii) the ecosystem services created or 

10 supported by the use of biochar; 

11 (iv) the restorative benefits of biochar 

12 with respect to forest heath and resiliency, 

13 including forest soils and watersheds; or 

14 (v) any combination of purposes speci15 fied in clauses (i) through (iv); and 

16 (D) are located in areas that have a high 

17 need for biochar production, as determined by 

18 the covered Secretaries, due to— 

19 (i) nearby lands identified as having 

20 high or very high or extreme risk of wild21 fire; 

22 (ii) availability of sufficient quantities 

23 of feedstocks; 


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1 (iii) a high level of demand for biochar 

2 or other commercial byproducts of biochar; 

3 or 

4 (iv) any combination of purposes spec5 ified in subparagraphs (A) through (D). 

6 (4) USE OF FUNDS.—In carrying out the pro7 gram established under paragraph (1)(A), the covered 

8 Secretaries may enter into partnerships and provide 

9 funding to such partnerships to carry out demonstra10 tion projects to— 

11 (A) acquire and test various feedstocks and 

12 their efficacy; 

13 (B) develop and optimize commercially and 

14 technologically viable biochar production units, 

15 including mobile and permanent units; 

16 (C) demonstrate— 

17 (i) the production of biochar from for18 est residue; and 

19 (ii) the use of biochar to restore forest 

20 health and resiliency; 

21 (D) build, expand, or establish biochar fa22 cilities; 

23 (E) conduct research on new and innovative 

24 uses of biochar; 


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1 (F) demonstrate cost-effective market oppor2 tunities for biochar and biochar-based products; 

3 (G) carry out any other activities the cov4 ered Secretaries determine appropriate; or 

5 (H) any combination of the purposes speci6 fied in subparagraphs (A) through (F). 

7 (5) FEEDSTOCK REQUIREMENTS.—To the max8 imum extent practicable, an eligible entity that car9 ries out a biochar demonstration project under this 

10 subsection shall, with respect to the feedstock used 

11 under such project, derive at least 50 percent of such 

12 feedstock from forest thinning and management ac13 tivities, including mill residues, conducted on Na14 tional Forest System lands or public lands. 

15 (6) REVIEW OF BIOCHAR DEMONSTRATION.— 

16 (A) IN GENERAL.—The covered Secretaries 

17 shall conduct regionally-specific research, includ18 ing economic analyses and life-cycle assessments, 

19 on any biochar produced from a demonstration 

20 project carried out under the program established 

21 in paragraph (1)(A), including— 

22 (i) the effects of such biochar on— 

23 (I) forest health and resiliency; 


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1 (II) carbon capture and sequestra2 tion, including increasing soil carbon 

3 in the short-term and long-term; 

4 (III) productivity, reduced input 

5 costs, and water retention in agricul6 tural practices; 

7 (IV) the health of soil and grass8 lands used for grazing activities, in9 cluding grazing activities on National 

10 Forest System land and public land; 

11 (V) environmental remediation 

12 activities, including abandoned mine 

13 land remediation; and 

14 (VI) other ecosystem services cre15 ated or supported by the use of biochar; 

16 (ii) the effectiveness of biochar as a co17 product of biofuels or in biochemicals; and 

18 (iii) the effectiveness of other potential 

19 uses of biochar to determine if any such use 

20 is technologically and commercially viable. 

21 (B) COORDINATION.—The covered Secre22 taries shall, to the maximum extent practicable, 

23 provide data, analyses, and other relevant infor24 mation collected under subparagraph (A) with 

25 recipients of a grant under subsection (b). 


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1 (7) LIMITATION ON FUNDING FOR ESTABLISHING

2 BIOCHAR FACILITIES.—If the covered Secretaries pro3 vide to an eligible entity that enters into a partner4 ship with the covered Secretaries under paragraph 

5 (1)(A) funding for establishing a biochar facility, 

6 such funding may not exceed 35 percent of the total 

7 capital cost of establishing such biochar facility. 

8 (b) BIOCHAR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT GRANT

9 PROGRAM.— 

10 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of the Inte11 rior shall establish or expand an existing applied 

12 biochar research and development grant program to 

13 make competitive grants to eligible institutions to 

14 carry out the activities described in paragraph (3). 

15 (2) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible to receive a 

16 grant under this subsection, an eligible institution 

17 shall submit to the Secretary a proposal at such time, 

18 in such manner, and containing such information as 

19 the Secretary may require. 

20 (3) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible institution that 

21 receives a grant under this subsection shall use the 

22 grant funds to conduct applied research on— 

23 (A) the effect of biochar on forest health and 

24 resiliency, accounting for variations in biochar, 

25 soil, climate, and other factors; 


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1 (B) the effect of biochar on soil health and 

2 water retention, accounting for variations in 

3 biochar, soil, climate, and other factors; 

4 (C) the long-term carbon sequestration po5 tential of biochar; 

6 (D) the best management practices with re7 spect to biochar and biochar-based products that 

8 maximize— 

9 (i) carbon sequestration benefits; and 

10 (ii) the commercial viability and ap11 plication of such products in forestry, agri12 culture, environmental remediation, water 

13 quality improvement, and any other similar 

14 uses, as determined by the Secretary; 

15 (E) the regional uses of biochar to increase 

16 productivity and profitability, including— 

17 (i) uses in agriculture and environ18 mental remediation; and 

19 (ii) use as a co-product in fuel produc20 tion; 

21 (F) new and innovative uses for biochar by22 products; and 

23 (G) opportunities to expand markets for 

24 biochar and create related jobs, particularly in 

25 rural areas. 


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1 (c) REPORTS.— 

2 (1) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 2 

3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the cov4 ered Secretaries shall submit to Congress a report 

5 that— 

6 (A) includes policy and program rec7 ommendations to improve the widespread use of 

8 biochar; 

9 (B) identifies any area of research needed to 

10 advance biochar commercialization; and 

11 (C) identifies barriers to further biochar 

12 commercialization, including permitting and 

13 siting considerations. 

14 (2) MATERIALS SUBMITTED IN SUPPORT OF THE

15 PRESIDENT’S BUDGET.—Beginning with the second 

16 fiscal year that begins after the date of enactment of 

17 this Act and annually thereafter until the date de18 scribed in subsection (d), the covered Secretaries shall 

19 include in the materials submitted to Congress in 

20 support of the President’s budget pursuant to section 

21 1105 of title 31, United States Code, a report describ22 ing, for the fiscal year covered by the report, the sta23 tus of each demonstration project carried out under 

24 subsection (a) and each research and development 

25 grant carried out under subsection (b). 


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1 (d) SUNSET.—The authority to carry out this section 

2 shall terminate on the date that is 7 years after the date 

3 of enactment of this Act. 

4 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

5 (1) BIOCHAR.—The term ‘‘biochar’’ means car6 bonized biomass produced by converting feedstock 

7 through reductive thermal processing for non-fuel 

8 uses. 

9 (2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti10 ty’’ means— 

11 (A) a State, local, or Tribal government; 

12 (B) an eligible institution; or 

13 (C) a private, non-private, or cooperative 

14 entity. 

15 (3) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION.—The term ‘‘eligible 

16 institution’’ means land-grant colleges and univer17 sities, including institutions eligible for funding 

18 under the— 

19 (A) Act of July 2, 1862 (12 Stat. 503, chap20 ter 130; 7 U.S.C. 301 et seq.); 

21 (B) Act of August 30, 1890 (26 Stat. 417, 

22 chapter 841; 7 U.S.C. 321 et seq.), including 

23 Tuskegee University; 

24 (C) Public Law 87–788 (commonly known 

25 as the ‘‘McIntire-Stennis Act of 1962’’); or 


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1 (D) Equity in Educational Land-Grant 

2 Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note; Public 

3 Law 103–382). 

4 (4) FEEDSTOCK.—The term ‘‘feedstock’’ means 

5 excess biomass in the form of plant matter or mate6 rials that serves as the raw material for the produc7 tion of biochar. 

8 (5) COVERED SECRETARIES.—The term ‘‘covered 

9 Secretaries’’ means— 

10 (A) the Secretary of Agriculture, acting 

11 through the Chief of the Forest Service; 

12 (B) the Secretary of the Interior, acting 

13 through the Director of the Bureau of Land 

14 Management; and 

15 (C) the Secretary of Energy, acting through 

16 the Director of the Office of Science. 

17 SEC. 302. ACCURATE HAZARDOUS FUELS REDUCTION RE18 PORTS. 

19 (a) INCLUSION OF HAZARDOUS FUELS REDUCTION

20 REPORT IN MATERIALS SUBMITTED IN SUPPORT OF THE

21 PRESIDENT’S BUDGET.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning with the first fiscal 

23 year that begins after the date of enactment of this 

24 Act, and each fiscal year thereafter, the Secretary con25 cerned shall include in the materials submitted to 


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1 Congress in support of the President’s budget pursu2 ant to section 1105 of title 31, United States Code, 

3 a report on the number of acres of Federal land on 

4 which the Secretary concerned carried out hazardous 

5 fuels reduction activities during the preceding fiscal 

6 year. 

7 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—For purposes of the report 

8 required under paragraph (1), the Secretary con9 cerned shall— 

10 (A) in determining the number of acres of 

11 Federal land on which the Secretary concerned 

12 carried out hazardous fuels reduction activities 

13 during the period covered by the report— 

14 (i) record acres of Federal land on 

15 which hazardous fuels reduction activities 

16 were completed during such period; and 

17 (ii) record each acre described in 

18 clause (i) once in the report, regardless of 

19 whether multiple hazardous fuels reduction 

20 activities were carried out on such acre dur21 ing such period; and 

22 (B) with respect to the acres of Federal land 

23 recorded in the report, include information on— 

24 (i) which such acres are located in the 

25 wildland-urban interface; 


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1 (ii) the level of wildfire risk (high, 

2 moderate, or low) on the first and last day 

3 of the period covered by the report; 

4 (iii) the types of hazardous fuels ac5 tivities completed for such acres, delineating 

6 between whether such activities were con7 ducted— 

8 (I) in a wildfire managed for re9 source benefits; or 

10 (II) through a planned project; 

11 (iv) the cost per acre of hazardous fuels 

12 activities carried out during the period cov13 ered by the report; 

14 (v) the region or system unit in which 

15 the acres are located; and 

16 (vi) the effectiveness of the hazardous 

17 fuels reduction activities on reducing the 

18 risk of wildfire. 

19 (3) TRANSPARENCY.—The Secretary concerned 

20 shall make each report submitted under paragraph 

21 (1) publicly available on the websites of the Depart22 ment of Agriculture and the Department of the Inte23 rior, as applicable. 

24 (b) ACCURATE DATA COLLECTION.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 

2 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary con3 cerned shall implement standardized procedures for 

4 tracking data related to hazardous fuels reduction ac5 tivities carried out by the Secretary concerned. 

6 (2) ELEMENTS.—The standardized procedures 

7 required under paragraph (1) shall include— 

8 (A) regular, standardized data reviews of 

9 the accuracy and timely input of data used to 

10 track hazardous fuels reduction activities; 

11 (B) verification methods that validate 

12 whether such data accurately correlates to the 

13 hazardous fuels reduction activities carried out 

14 by the Secretary concerned; 

15 (C) an analysis of the short- and long-term 

16 effectiveness of the hazardous fuels reduction ac17 tivities on reducing the risk of wildfire; and 

18 (D) for hazardous fuels reduction activities 

19 that occur partially within the wildland-urban 

20 interface, methods to distinguish which acres are 

21 located within the wildland-urban interface and 

22 which acres are located outside the wildland23 urban interface. 

24 (3) REPORT.—Not later than 2 weeks after im25 plementing the standardized procedures required 


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1 under paragraph (1), the Secretary concerned shall 

2 submit to Congress a report that describes— 

3 (A) such standardized procedures; and 

4 (B) program and policy recommendations 

5 to Congress to address any limitations in track6 ing data related to hazardous fuels reduction ac7 tivities under this subsection. 

8 (c) GAO STUDY.—Not later than 2 years after the date 

9 of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the 

10 United States shall— 

11 (1) conduct a study on the implementation of 

12 this section, including any limitations with respect 

13 to— 

14 (A) reporting hazardous fuels reduction ac15 tivities under subsection (a); or 

16 (B) tracking data related to hazardous fuels 

17 reduction activities under subsection (b); and 

18 (2) submit to Congress a report that describes the 

19 results of the study under paragraph (1). 

20 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

21 (1) HAZARDOUS FUELS REDUCTION ACTIVITY.— 

22 The term ‘‘hazardous fuels reduction activity’’— 

23 (A) means any vegetation management ac24 tivity to reduce the risk of wildfire, including 


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1 mechanical treatments and prescribed burning; 

2 and 

3 (B) does not include the awarding of con4 tracts to conduct hazardous fuels reduction ac5 tivities. 

6 (2) FEDERAL LANDS.—The term ‘‘Federal lands’’ 

7 means lands under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of 

8 the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture. 

9 (e) NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED.—No addi10 tional funds are authorized to carry out the requirements 

11 of this section, and the activities authorized by this section 

12 are subject to the availability of appropriations made in 

13 advance for such purposes. 

14 SEC. 303. PUBLIC-PRIVATE WILDFIRE TECHNOLOGY DE15 PLOYMENT AND TESTBED PARTNERSHIP. 

16 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

17 (1) COVERED AGENCY.—The term ‘‘covered agen18 cy’’ means— 

19 (A) each Federal land management agency 

20 (as such term is defined in the Federal Lands 

21 Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6801)); 

22 (B) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

23 Administration; 

24 (C) the United States Fire Administration; 


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1 (D) the Federal Emergency Management 

2 Agency; 

3 (E) the National Aeronautics and Space 

4 Administration; 

5 (F) the Bureau of Indian Affairs; 

6 (G) the Department of Defense; and 

7 (H) any other Federal agency involved in 

8 wildfire response. 

9 (2) COVERED ENTITY.—The term ‘‘covered enti10 ty’’ means— 

11 (A) a private entity; 

12 (B) a nonprofit organization; or 

13 (C) an institution of higher education (as 

14 defined in section 101 of the Higher Education 

15 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)). 

16 (b) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after the 

17 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries, in coordina18 tion with the heads of the covered agencies, shall establish 

19 a deployment and testbed pilot program (in this section re20 ferred to as ‘‘Pilot Program’’) for new and innovative wild21 fire prevention, detection, communication, and mitigation 

22 technologies. 

23 (c) FUNCTIONS.—In carrying out the Pilot Program, 

24 the Secretaries shall— 


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1 (1) incorporate the Pilot Program into existing 

2 interagency coordinating groups on wildfires; 

3 (2) in consultation with the heads of covered 

4 agencies, identify and advance key technology pri5 ority areas with respect to wildfire prevention, detec6 tion, communication, and mitigation technologies, in7 cluding— 

8 (A) hazardous fuels reduction treatments or 

9 activities; 

10 (B) dispatch communications; 

11 (C) remote sensing, detection, and tracking; 

12 (D) safety equipment; and 

13 (E) common operating pictures or oper14 ational dashboards; and 

15 (3) connect each covered entity selected to par16 ticipate in the Pilot Program with the appropriate 

17 covered agency to coordinate real-time and on-the18 ground testing of technology during wildland fire 

19 mitigation activities and training. 

20 (d) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible to be selected to par21 ticipate in the Pilot Program, a covered entity shall submit 

22 to the Secretaries an application at such time, in such man23 ner, and containing such information as the Secretaries 

24 may require, including a proposal to test technologies speVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:16 Sep 12, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00073 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H8790.RH H8790

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1 cific to the key technology priority areas identified pursu2 ant to subsection (c)(2). 

3 (e) PRIORITIZATION OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES.— 

4 In selecting covered entities to participate in the Pilot Pro5 gram, the Secretaries shall give priority to covered entities 

6 developing and applying emerging technologies, including 

7 artificial intelligence, quantum sensing, computing and 

8 quantum-hybrid applications, augmented reality, and 5G 

9 private networks and device-to-device communications sup10 porting nomadic mesh networks, for wildfire mitigation. 

11 (f) OUTREACH.—The Secretaries, in coordination with 

12 the heads of covered agencies, shall make public the key tech13 nology priority areas identified pursuant to subsection 

14 (c)(2) and invite covered entities to apply under subsection 

15 (d) to test and demonstrate their technologies to address 

16 such priority areas. 

17 (g) REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.—Not later 

18 than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, and 

19 annually thereafter for the duration of the Pilot Program, 

20 the Secretaries shall submit to the relevant Congressional 

21 Committees, the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech22 nology of the House of Representatives, and the Committee 

23 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 

24 a report that includes, with respect to the Pilot Program, 

25 the following: 


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1 (1) A list of participating covered entities. 

2 (2) A brief description of the technologies tested 

3 by each such covered entity. 

4 (3) An estimate of the cost of acquiring each such 

5 technology and applying the technology at scale. 

6 (4) Outreach efforts by Federal agencies to cov7 ered entities developing wildfire technologies. 

8 (5) Assessments of, and recommendations relat9 ing to, new technologies with potential adoption and 

10 application at-scale in Federal land management 

11 agencies’ wildfire prevention, detection, communica12 tion, and mitigation efforts. 

13 (h) SUNSET.—The authority to carry out this section 

14 shall terminate on the date that is 7 years after the date 

15 of enactment of this Act. 

16 SEC. 304. GAO STUDY ON FOREST SERVICE POLICIES. 

17 Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of 

18 this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 

19 shall— 

20 (1) conduct a study evaluating— 

21 (A) the effectiveness of Forest Service 

22 wildland firefighting operations; 

23 (B) transparency and accountability meas24 ures in the Forest Service’s budget and account25 ing process; and 


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1 (C) the suitability and feasibility of estab2 lishing a new Federal agency with the responsi3 bility of responding and suppressing wildland 

4 fires on Federal lands; and 

5 (2) submit to Congress a report that describes the 

6 results of the study required under paragraph (1). 

7 SEC. 305. FOREST SERVICE WESTERN HEADQUARTERS 

8 STUDY. 

9 Not later than 5 years after the date of enactment of 

10 this Act, the Chief of the Forest Service shall— 

11 (1) conduct a study evaluating— 

12 (A) potential locations for a Western head13 quarters for the Forest Service, including poten14 tial locations in at least 3 different States lo15 cated west of the Mississippi river; and 

16 (B) the potential benefits of creating a 

17 Western headquarters for the Forest Service, in18 cluding expected— 

19 (i) improvements to customer service; 

20 (ii) improvements to employee recruit21 ment and retention; and 

22 (iii) operational efficiencies and cost 

23 savings; and 

24 (2) submit to Congress a report that describes the 

25 results of the study required under paragraph (1). 


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1 SEC. 306. KEEPING FOREST PLANS CURRENT AND MON2 ITORED. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary— 

4 (1) to the greatest extent practicable and subject 

5 to the availability of appropriations made in advance 

6 for such purpose— 

7 (A) ensure forest plans comply with the re8 quirements of section 6(f)(5)(A) of the Forest and 

9 Rangeland Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 

10 U.S.C. 1604(f)(5)(A)); and 

11 (B) prioritize revising any forest plan not 

12 in compliance with such section 6(f)(5)(A); 

13 (2) not be considered to be in violation of section 

14 6(f)(5)(A) of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable 

15 Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 

16 1604(f)(5)(A)) solely because more than 15 years have 

17 passed without revision of the plan for a unit of the 

18 National Forest System; 

19 (3) not later than 120 days after the date of the 

20 enactment of this Act, submit to the relevant Congres21 sional Committees the date on which each forest plan 

22 required by such section 6 was most recently revised, 

23 amended, or modified; 

24 (4) seek to publish a new, complete version of a 

25 forest plan that the Secretary has been directed to 

26 amend, revise, or modify by a court order within 60 


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1 days of such amendment, revision, or modification, 

2 subject to the availability of appropriations made in 

3 advance for such purpose; and 

4 (5) maintain a central, publicly accessible 

5 website with links to— 

6 (A) the most recently available forest plan 

7 adopted, amended, or modified by a court order 

8 as a single document; and 

9 (B) the most recently published forest plan 

10 monitoring report for each unit of the National 

11 Forest System. 

12 (b) GOOD FAITH UPDATES.—If the Secretary is not 

13 acting expeditiously and in good faith, within the funding 

14 available to revise, amend, or modify a plan for a unit of 

15 the National Forest System as required by law or a court 

16 order, subsection (a) shall be void with respect to such plan 

17 and a court of proper jurisdiction may order completion 

18 of the plan on an accelerated basis. 

19 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date of 

20 the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit a re21 port to the relevant Congressional Committees summarizing 

22 the implementation of this section. 


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Union Calendar No. 570 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8790 

[Report No. 118–674, Part I] 

A BILL 

To expedite under the National Environmental Pollands, and for other purposes. turn resilience to overgrown, fire-prone forested of Land Management, and on Tribal lands to re- public lands under the jurisdiction of the Bureau activities on National Forest System lands, on icy Act of 1969 and improve forest management 

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024 

Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources with 

an amendment 

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024 

Committees on Agriculture and Science, Space, and 

dered to be printed the Whole House on the State of the Union and orTechnology discharged; committed to the Committee of 


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