Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon Fire Forest Restoration Program Relief Act
Bill: S.4729 | Sponsor: Sen. Lujan, Ben Ray (D-NM)
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon Fire Forest Restoration Program Relief Act
This bill directs the Department of Agriculture to waive the cost share requirement with respect to a payment provided for restoration of land damaged by the Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon Fire.
That fire started as the result of a prescribed burn initiated by the Forest Service in the Santa Fe National Forest in New Mexico, on April 6, 2022.

To amend the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to waive the cost share 
  requirement under the emergency forest restoration program for land 
             damaged by the Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon Fire.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon Fire 
Forest Restoration Program Relief Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) on April 6, 2022, the Forest Service initiated the Las 
        Dispensas-Gallinas prescribed burn on Federal land in the Santa 
        Fe National Forest in San Miguel County, New Mexico, when 
        erratic winds were prevalent in the area, which was also 
        suffering from severe drought after many years of insufficient 
        precipitation;
            (2) on April 6, 2022, the prescribed burn, which became 
        known as the ``Hermit's Peak Fire'', exceeded the containment 
        capabilities of the Forest Service, was declared a wildfire, 
        and spread to other Federal and non-Federal land;
            (3) on April 19, 2022, the Calf Canyon Fire, also in San 
        Miguel County, New Mexico, began burning on Federal land and 
        was later identified as the result of a pile burn in January 
        2022 that remained dormant under the surface before reemerging;
            (4) on April 27, 2022, the Hermit's Peak Fire and the Calf 
        Canyon Fire merged, and both fires were reported as the 
        ``Hermit's Peak Fire'' or the ``Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon 
        Fire'';
            (5) by May 2, 2022, the fire had grown in size and caused 
        evacuations in multiple villages and communities in San Miguel 
        County and Mora County, including at the San Miguel county 
        jail, the State's psychiatric hospital, the United World 
        College, and New Mexico Highlands University;
            (6) on May 4, 2022, the President issued a major disaster 
        declaration for the counties of Colfax, Mora, and San Miguel, 
        New Mexico;
            (7) on May 20, 2022, Chief of the Forest Service Randy 
        Moore ordered a 90-day review of prescribed burn policies to 
        reduce the risk of wildfires and ensure the safety of the 
        communities involved;
            (8) the Forest Service has assumed responsibility for the 
        Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon Fire;
            (9) the fire resulted in the loss of Federal, State, local, 
        Tribal, and private property; and
            (10) the United States should compensate the victims of the 
        Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon Fire.

SEC. 3. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to ensure that victims of the Hermit's 
Peak/Calf Canyon Fire are eligible to receive 100 percent funding for 
the cost of carrying out emergency measures under the emergency forest 
restoration program under section 407 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 
1978 (16 U.S.C. 2206).

SEC. 4. DEFINITION OF HERMIT'S PEAK/CALF CANYON FIRE.

    In this Act, the term ``Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon Fire'' means--
            (1) the fire resulting from the initiation by the Forest 
        Service of a prescribed burn in the Santa Fe National Forest in 
        San Miguel County, New Mexico, on April 6, 2022;
            (2) the pile burn holdover resulting from a prescribed burn 
        by the Forest Service in January 2022, which reemerged on April 
        19, 2022; and
            (3) the merger of the fires described in paragraphs (1) and 
        (2), reported as the ``Hermit's Peak Fire'' or the ``Hermit's 
        Peak/Calf Canyon Fire''.

SEC. 5. WAIVER OF COST SHARE REQUIREMENT FOR LAND DAMAGED BY HERMIT'S 
              PEAK/CALF CANYON FIRE.

    The Secretary of Agriculture shall waive the cost share requirement 
under subsection (d) of section 407 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 
1978 (16 U.S.C. 2206) with respect to a payment provided under that 
section for restoration of land damaged by the Hermit's Peak/Calf 
Canyon Fire.
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