Sponsors (10)
The bill accelerates and expands fuel-reduction and restoration work—reducing wildfire risk, improving coordination, and enhancing water resilience—while trading off reduced environmental review and stronger cost-based waivers that could allow ecological harms or limit public input on large projects.
Rural and nearby communities will face lower wildfire risk because the bill funds and prioritizes fuel-reduction and restoration projects across up to 10,000 acres.
Hazardous-vegetation treatments can be implemented faster because a NEPA categorical exclusion reduces administrative delays, letting dangerous areas be treated sooner.
Local governments and fire departments can play a direct role in planning and implementation, improving coordination and speeding up on-the-ground action.
Some large projects (up to 10,000 acres) can proceed with reduced NEPA review, meaning less environmental review and diminished opportunities for public input on significant treatments.
Expedited project timelines and reduced review increase the risk of unintended harms to wildlife, water quality, or other resources if monitoring and enforcement of environmental standards are insufficient.
The Secretary may waive ecosystem-benefit requirements when costs are deemed excessive, allowing cost considerations to override ecological protections on some projects.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Directs coordinated multi‑benefit forest management, monitoring, cooperative agreements, and a limited NEPA categorical exclusion for qualifying fuel‑reduction projects.
Official title: To direct the Secretary concerned to coordinate with impacted parties when conducting a forest management activity, and for other purposes.
Introduced January 3, 2025 by Tom McClintock · Last progress January 3, 2025
Directs the Agriculture and Interior Secretaries to coordinate with affected parties and manage National Forest System and other public lands to achieve multiple ecosystem benefits—reducing fuels, maintaining biodiversity, improving wetlands and water quality, and increasing climate resilience—so long as costs are not excessive. It requires post-project ground-condition criteria and monitoring, authorizes cooperative agreements with non-Federal partners, and creates a limited NEPA categorical exclusion for specified fuel-reduction projects meeting size and treatment limits. Also defines key terms, cross-references statutory definitions of ‘‘National Forest System’’ and ‘‘public lands,’’ and allows fuel-reduction and restoration projects on Federal and non-Federal lands within land adjustment programs through cooperative agreements or contracts.