Forest Protection and Wildland Firefighter Safety Act of 2023

Forest Protection and Wildland Firefighter Safety Act of 2023

This bill authorizes the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture to discharge a fire retardant, a chemical, or water for fire suppression, control, or prevention activities.

No National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit shall be required for such activities or for similar activities conducted by the Forest Service, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a state or political subdivision thereof, or a tribal government.

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1586 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1586

To allow the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture 
   to use a fire retardant, chemical, or water for fire suppression, 
                   control, or prevention activities.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 14, 2023

 Mr. LaMalfa (for himself, Mr. Panetta, Mr. Newhouse, Mr. Fulcher, Mr. 
  Austin Scott of Georgia, Mr. McClintock, Mrs. Radewagen, Mr. Nehls, 
  Mrs. Boebert, Mr. Crawford, Mrs. Kim of California, Mr. Zinke, Mr. 
  Garamendi, Mr. Moore of Utah, Mr. Owens, Mr. Simpson, Mr. Kelly of 
    Mississippi, Mr. Calvert, Mr. Stauber, Mr. Issa, Mrs. Miller of 
    Illinois, Mr. Kiley, Mr. Rosendale, Mr. Costa, and Ms. Hageman) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committees on 
  Natural Resources, and Agriculture, 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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To allow the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture 
   to use a fire retardant, chemical, or water for fire suppression, 
                   control, or prevention activities.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Forest Protection and Wildland 
Firefighter Safety Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. PERMITTING REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTAIN DISCHARGES OF FIRE 
              RETARDANT.

    (a) Authorized Uses.--The Secretary of the Interior and the 
Secretary of Agriculture are each authorized to discharge a fire 
retardant, chemical, or water for fire suppression, control, or 
prevention activities.
    (b) Permitting Requirements.--Notwithstanding any provision of the 
Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.), a permit 
under section 402 of such Act (33 U.S.C. 1342) shall not be required 
for the activities authorized by subsection (a) or for similar 
activities conducted by a covered entity.
    (c) Definition.--In this section, the term ``covered entity'' 
means--
            (1) the Forest Service;
            (2) the National Park Service;
            (3) the Bureau of Land Management;
            (4) the United States Fish and Wildlife Service;
            (5) the Bureau of Indian Affairs;
            (6) the Federal Emergency Management Agency;
            (7) a State or a political subdivision thereof; or
            (8) a Tribal government.
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