Wildfire Communications Resiliency Act
- house
- senate
- president
Last progress February 27, 2025 (9 months ago)
Introduced on February 27, 2025 by Cliff Bentz
Sponsors
House Votes
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 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.
Senate Votes
Presidential Signature
AI Summary
This bill aims to speed up rebuilding and strengthening communications systems after wildfires. It lets certain projects move forward without some federal environmental and historic preservation reviews, as long as they are done within five years of a declared wildfire-related major disaster or emergency, take place inside the declared area, and either replace damaged communications facilities or make needed improvements to recover or help prevent future disasters. Declarations can come from the President, a state governor, or a tribal chief executive. These projects are not treated as “major federal actions” or “undertakings” under the usual review laws, so those reviews do not apply.
Key points
- Who is affected: Projects involving communications facilities in areas hit by wildfire-related disasters or emergencies.
- What changes: Skips certain federal environmental and historic preservation reviews for qualifying projects, by stating they are not subject to those review processes.
- When and where: Within five years after a wildfire-related disaster or emergency is declared, and only within the area covered by that declaration.