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

Bill: 117-hr-6903
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. McClintock, Tom [R-CA-4]
Introduced: 2022-03-02
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Latest action: action_date: 2022-03-08
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands.

Summaries:
action_date: 2022-03-02
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>This bill sets out requirements for wildfire suppression and management activities carried out by the Forest Service.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p>

tv_txt: I 117th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 6903 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 2, 2022 Mr. McClintock (for himself and Mr. LaMalfa ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture , and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources , 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 A BILL To require the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out activities to suppress wildfires, and for other purposes.

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.