Sponsors (10)
The bill accelerates and funds hazardous fuels treatments and local partnerships to reduce wildfire risk and improve water resilience, but does so by shortening NEPA review and allowing exceptions that could reduce public input and risk ecological harms or limit the scale of some mechanical treatments.
Rural and adjacent communities will face lower wildfire risk because the bill funds and prioritizes hazardous fuel‑reduction projects across up to 10,000 acres.
Rural communities will get treatments sooner because a NEPA categorical exclusion speeds approval and reduces administrative delays for eligible projects.
Local governments and fire departments will have a stronger role in planning and coordinating treatments, improving local implementation and response.
Local communities and stakeholders will have reduced opportunities for public input because certain large projects (up to 10,000 acres) can proceed without full NEPA review.
Accelerating treatments with reduced review increases the risk of unintended harms to wildlife, water, or other resources if monitoring and post‑treatment safeguards are not rigorously enforced.
The Secretary’s ability to waive ecosystem‑benefit requirements when costs are deemed excessive could allow cost considerations to override ecological protections on some projects.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires coordinated forest management for multiple ecosystem benefits and creates a limited NEPA categorical exclusion for certain fuel-reduction projects with acreage and thinning caps.
Introduced January 3, 2025 by Tom McClintock · Last progress January 3, 2025
Requires federal land managers to plan and carry out forest management and fuel-reduction work on National Forest System and other public lands in coordination with affected parties and with the goal of multiple ecosystem benefits—reducing fuels, supporting biodiversity, improving wetlands and water quality (including Stream Environment Zones), and increasing resilience to changing water temperature and precipitation—unless the Secretary determines costs are excessive. Sets monitoring and post-project ground condition criteria consistent with applicable law and forest plans. Creates a limited NEPA categorical exclusion for certain fuel-reduction projects that meet acreage and mechanical-thinning limits and are developed in coordination and consistent with forest plans. Authorizes cooperative contracts and agreements to do fuel reduction, erosion control, reforestation, and SEZ restoration on federal and non-federal lands within land-adjustment programs and defines terms by cross-reference to existing U.S. Code provisions.