TORCH Act

This bill aims to lower the risk of big wildfires by speeding up common forest work on federal lands and near power lines. It allows faster approval for cutting dangerous trees, makes some fuel‑reduction projects bigger, encourages targeted livestock grazing, and streamlines utility vegetation work. It also changes how certain restoration funds can be used and limits when agencies must redo wildlife reviews for broad land‑management plans .

Key points

• Who is affected: Federal land agencies, state/tribal/county partners, electric utilities, and grazing permit holders on federal land .
• Faster removal of high‑risk trees: Creates a fast‑track for projects up to 3,000 acres to remove dangerous trees, using a process that skips detailed environmental studies when impacts are expected to be small .
• Bigger fuel‑reduction work: Expands certain project limits from 3,000 to 10,000 acres for wildfire resilience projects, fuel breaks, and collaborative restoration work .
• More use of grazing to cut fire risk: Calls for strategies like targeted grazing, temporary permits, and using vacant allotments during disasters; also supports grazing after fires to help recovery, where appropriate.
• Power line safety and speed: Lets routine vegetation plans and maintenance near power lines move ahead without lengthy studies, sets quick review timelines (automatic approval after 60–67 days), and requires consultation with nearby private landowners about hazard trees. No new permanent roads and no work in wilderness areas under this fast‑track .
• Utility tree removal: Allows cutting and removing vegetation near lines without a separate timber sale if it follows the land plan; if the wood is sold, proceeds (minus transport costs) go to the Forest Service.
• Timber during extreme risk: Lets the Forest Service sell or remove trees without an appraisal when there is an extreme risk (like major wildfire or insect outbreak) and raises the cap for certain small timber sales to $50,000.
• Good Neighbor agreements: Lets states, tribes, and counties keep timber‑sale funds from these projects to pay for more restoration, including other agreements. Applies to qualifying projects begun after the 2018 Agriculture Improvement Act or to new ones .
• Wildlife plan reviews: Agencies do not have to reopen certain Endangered Species Act consultations on broad land‑management plans if a new species is listed or new information comes in; this is about plans, not individual projects .
• When: Some changes start right away (for example, the utility‑line fast‑track). The new fast‑track for hazardous trees must be created within one year .