Last progress January 3, 2025 (11 months ago)
Introduced on January 3, 2025 by Tom McClintock
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.
This bill aims to speed up and improve forest work on National Forest System land. Agencies must work with affected parties to plan projects, and they should try to get multiple benefits at once—like cutting wildfire fuels, protecting wildlife, improving wetlands and water quality (including areas around streams), and helping forests handle changing rain and temperature—unless those added costs are too high. It also sets clearer “after the work is done” standards for the land and requires monitoring to make sure goals are met.
Some fuel‑reduction projects could move forward faster. Projects up to 10,000 acres (with no more than 3,000 acres of mechanical thinning) could skip certain environmental review steps if they’re developed with local input—including county leaders—and if they fit the area’s forest plan. The bill also lets agencies make agreements with certain partners to reduce fuels, control erosion, replant trees, and restore stream zones on both federal and some nearby nonfederal lands within land adjustment programs.