Sponsors (2)
The bill improves detection, coordination, and local processing to reduce mountain pine beetle impacts and wildfire risk while creating economic opportunities, but it requires additional public spending, may cause local environmental impacts from increased timber operations, and places administrative burdens on some tribal governments.
Rural communities, timber processors, and utilities: increased processing capacity for beetle-killed or infested trees creates local economic opportunities and reduces hazardous fuel loads, lowering wildfire risk.
State, tribal, and local governments and residents on tribal lands: improved early detection and federal technical assistance (APHIS) for beetle outbreaks gives local partners access to expertise and increases the effectiveness of response and mitigation.
State and local governments: formal cooperative agreements and shared monitoring data enable better coordinated responses and more efficient use of resources across jurisdictions.
Taxpayers and state budgets: expanding cooperative projects and processing capacity will likely increase federal and state spending or require reallocating existing resources.
Rural communities and recreational users: increased logging or tree-processing activities could cause local environmental degradation or reduce recreational values if projects are not carefully planned and mitigated.
Tribal governments and residents on tribal lands: participating tribes may need to negotiate terms and commit limited local resources, imposing administrative and financial burdens on smaller tribal administrations.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes Forest Service cooperative agreements with states, tribes, territories, and localities to detect, treat, and mitigate mountain pine beetle infestations and requires APHIS technical assistance on request.
Official title: To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, to enter into cooperative agreements with certain entities to address mountain pine beetle infestations and reduce associated wildfire risk, and for other purposes.
Introduced July 30, 2026 by Brittany Pettersen · Last progress July 30, 2026
Authorizes the Forest Service to make cooperative agreements with state, territorial, tribal, and local governments to detect, treat, and mitigate mountain pine beetle outbreaks on lands under federal or partner jurisdiction. It also requires USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to provide technical assistance on detection, spread, and mitigation when requested by a party to an agreement. The partnerships may cover coordinated monitoring and data sharing, joint planning and project implementation, processing capacity for beetle‑killed trees, hazard reduction work to lower wildfire risk, and other activities the Secretary determines will help control infestations and reduce associated risks.