Wildland Fires Act of 2017

Bill: 115-hr-4208
Sponsor: Rep. Thompson, Mike [D-CA-5]
Introduced: 2017-11-01 in the House
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Appropriations
Congressional oversight
Department of Agriculture
Department of the Interior
Emergency planning and evacuation
Executive agency funding and structure
Fires
Forests, forestry, trees
Government ethics and transparency, public corruption
Government studies and investigations
Insects
Pest management
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-01
text: 

Wildland Fires Act of 2017

 
This bill requires the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture (USDA) to conduct a cost review each fiscal year of each wildfire covering an area greater than 100,000 acres. 
 
Appropriations for wildfire management operations in USDA's or Interior's Wildland Fire Management accounts that are not expended for a fiscal year may be available for wildfire risk reduction projects on federal land. 
 
Interior and USDA shall: (1) publish a map depicting at-risk communities (as re-defined by this bill), including tribal communities; and (2) furnish financial assistance to such communities adjacent to federal land for wildfire planning and preparations. 
 
Interior and USDA shall: (1) establish a pilot program to reduce the risk of wildfires to communities in the wildland-urban interface and reestablish natural fire regimes outside such interface, and (2) implement the program to treat specified federal land composed primarily of ponderosa or Jeffrey pines by September 30, 2027. The bill establishes the Pilot Monitoring Committee to monitor the impacts on wildfire risk and the ecological effects of the projects being implemented under such program. 
 
Interior and USDA: (1) may issue stewardship contracts or enter into stewardship agreements for up to 10 years to conduct prescribed fires on federal lands, and (2) shall establish a pilot program for awarding contracts or agreements of up to 20 years to carry out restoration projects or hazardous fuels reduction projects on federal lands. 
 
The National Forest Foundation shall establish a program to certify as a collaborative a group of interested persons that is interested in assisting USDA and Interior in increasing the quantity of projects or activities such departments carry out on an individual unit of National Forest System land or public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management in accordance with the applicable management plan. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry.
action_date: 2017-11-09
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Federal Lands.
action_date: 2017-11-01
text: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, 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.
action_date: 2017-11-01
text: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, 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.
action_date: 2017-11-01
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2017-11-01
text: Introduced in House