Forest Protection and Wildland Firefighter Safety Act of 2025

This bill says that when firefighters drop certain approved fire retardants or other products from aircraft to fight wildfires, they do not need a federal water discharge permit for any runoff that results. The products must be on the U.S. Forest Service’s current Qualified Products List for fire control and suppression. It also makes small wording updates to the existing law to match this change .

• Who is affected: Wildland firefighting agencies, pilots/air crews, and communities near wildfires (by potentially faster aerial response). Water regulators would no longer handle permits for these specific drops if the products are on the approved list .