To require the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out activities to suppress wildfires, and for other purposes.
Bill: H.R.6903 | Sponsor: Rep. McClintock, Tom (R-CA)
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
This bill sets out requirements for wildfire suppression and management activities carried out by the Forest Service.
Within 24 hours of detecting a wildfire on Forest Service land, the service must use (to the maximum extent practicable) all available resources to extinguish the wildfire. Additionally, the service may not inhibit the firefighting activities of state and local agencies that are authorized to respond to wildfires on Forest Service land.
Further, the service may not initiate a backfire or burnout as part of a fire suppression strategy unless ordered by the responsible incident commander and must control any initiated fire until it is extinguished. An individual who is harmed by an improperly initiated or controlled backfire or burnout may sue the United States.
The bill also limits the service's use of prescribed fires (i.e., the controlled application of fire by a team of experts under specified weather conditions to restore health to ecosystems that depend on fire). The service must comply with all applicable laws and regulations concerning prescribed fires and must immediately suppress (to the maximum extent practicable) a prescribed fire that exceeds its prescription.

To require the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out activities to 
              suppress wildfires, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SUPPRESSION OF WILDFIRES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the 
Chief of the Forest Service--
            (1) shall--
                    (A) to the maximum extent practicable--
                            (i) use all available resources to carry 
                        out wildfire suppression with the purpose of 
                        extinguishing wildfires detected on National 
                        Forest System lands not later than 24 hours 
                        after such a wildfire is detected; and
                            (ii) immediately suppress any prescribed 
                        fire that exceeds prescription;
                    (B) not inhibit the suppression efforts of State or 
                local firefighting agencies that are authorized to 
                respond to wildfire on National Forest System lands;
            (2) may only use fire as a resource management tool if the 
        fire is a prescribed fire that complies with applicable law and 
        regulations;
            (3) may only initiate a backfire or burnout during a 
        wildfire by order of the responsible incident commander; and
            (4) shall control any such initiated backfire or burnout 
        until extinguished.
    (b) Penalty.--Any person aggrieved by a violation of paragraph (3) 
or (4) of subsection (a) may bring a civil action against the United 
States in the appropriate Federal district court for actual damages.
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