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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6525 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6525
To provide mandatory funding for hazardous fuels reduction projects on
certain Federal land, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 30, 2023
Ms. Hoyle of Oregon (for herself, Mr. Neguse, Mr. Harder of California,
Mr. Huffman, Ms. Salinas, Mr. Schiff, and Ms. Stansbury) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural
Resources, and in addition to the Committee on 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 provide mandatory funding for hazardous fuels reduction projects on
certain Federal land, and for other purposes.
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 ``Wildfire Resilient Communities
Act''.
SEC. 2. FUNDING FOR HAZARDOUS FUELS REDUCTION PROJECTS ON CERTAIN
FEDERAL LAND.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Agency head.--The term ``agency head'' means--
(A) the Director of the National Park Service;
(B) the Chief of the Forest Service;
(C) the Director of the Bureau of Land Management;
(D) the Director of the United States Fish and
Wildlife Service; and
(E) the Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
(2) At-risk community; fire regime i; fire regime ii; fire
regime iii.--The terms ``at-risk community'', ``fire regime
I'', ``fire regime II'', and ``fire regime III'' have the
meanings given those terms in section 101 of the Healthy
Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6511).
(3) Covered land.--The term ``covered land'' means Federal
land under the jurisdiction of the applicable agency head.
(4) Hazardous fuels reduction project.--The term
``hazardous fuels reduction project'' means the removal or
modification of flammable vegetation or woody debris through
prescribed fire, thinning, brush removal, mastication, pruning,
slash treatment, or a combination of those methods, on the
condition that the method is ecologically appropriate, cost-
effective, and selected on a site-specific basis.
(b) Hazardous Fuels Reduction Projects.--
(1) In general.--The agency heads shall carry out hazardous
fuels reduction projects on covered land.
(2) Project priorities.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the
agency heads shall prioritize hazardous fuels reduction
projects that are--
(A) conducted in areas that--
(i) are within or adjacent to--
(I) at-risk communities; or
(II) high-value watersheds;
(ii) have very high wildfire hazard
potential; or
(iii) are in fire regime I, fire regime II,
or fire regime III; or
(B) designed to integrate and simultaneously
advance 2 or more of the goals established in the
report of the Secretary of Agriculture and the
Secretary of the Interior entitled ``The National
Strategy: the Final Phase of the Development of the
National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy''
and dated April 2014 and the update entitled ``National
Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy Addendum
Update'' and dated January 2023--
(i) to create fire-adapted communities;
(ii) to restore and maintain resilient
landscapes; and
(iii) to achieve safe, effective fire
response.
(c) Funding.--
(1) In general.--On the first October 1 following the date
of enactment of this Act, out of any funds in the Treasury not
otherwise appropriated, the Secretary of the Treasury shall
transfer to the agency heads, in accordance with an allocation
formula established by the Secretary of the Treasury,
$30,000,000,000, to remain available until expended.
(2) Receipt and acceptance.--The agency heads shall be
entitled to receive, shall accept, and shall use to carry out
this section the funds transferred under paragraph (1), without
further appropriation.
(3) Administrative and planning costs.--Not more than 10
percent of funding made available under paragraph (1) may be
used for administrative and planning costs.
SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS FOR COMMUNITY WILDFIRE DEFENSE GRANT
PROGRAM.
In addition to amounts made available to the Secretary of
Agriculture under section 40803(c)(12) of the Infrastructure Investment
and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 6592(c)(12)), there is authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out section
40803(f) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C.
6592(f)) $3,000,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2027 through
2031.
SEC. 4. COLLABORATIVE FOREST LANDSCAPE RESTORATION PROGRAM
REAUTHORIZATION.
Section 4003 of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (16
U.S.C. 7303) is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)(3)--
(A) in subparagraph (D), by striking ``species;''
and inserting ``species or pathogens;'';
(B) in subparagraph (G), by striking ``and'' at the
end;
(C) in subparagraph (H), by adding ``and'' after
the semicolon at the end; and
(D) by adding at the end the following:
``(I) address standardized monitoring questions and
indicators;'';
(2) in subsection (c)(3)(A)--
(A) in clause (i), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(B) in clause (ii), by adding ``and'' at the end;
and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(iii) include a Federal Government
staffing plan for providing support to
collaborative processes established pursuant to
subsection (b)(2);'';
(3) in subsection (d)--
(A) in paragraph (2)--
(i) in subparagraph (E), by striking
``and'' at the end;
(ii) in subparagraph (F), by striking the
period at the end and inserting a semicolon;
and
(iii) by adding at the end the following:
``(G) whether the proposal seeks to use innovative
implementation mechanisms, including conservation
finance agreements, good neighbor agreements entered
into under section 8206 of the Agricultural Act of 2014
(16 U.S.C. 2113a), and similar implementation
mechanisms;
``(H) whether the proposal seeks to reduce the risk
of uncharacteristic wildfire or increase ecological
restoration activities--
``(i) within areas across land ownerships,
including State, Tribal, and private land; and
``(ii) within the wildland-urban interface;
and
``(I) whether the proposal seeks to enhance
watershed health and drinking water sources.''; and
(B) in paragraph (3)--
(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``10''
and inserting ``20''; and
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``2''
and inserting ``4'';
(4) in subsection (e)(3), by inserting ``conflict
resolution or collaborative governance,'' before ``and woody'';
and
(5) in subsection (f)(6), by striking ``$80,000,000 for
each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023'' and inserting
``$100,000,000 for fiscal year 2024 and each fiscal year
thereafter''.
SEC. 5. COUNTY STEWARDSHIP FUND.
Section 604 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16
U.S.C. 6591c) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsection (j) as subsection (k); and
(2) by inserting after subsection (i) the following:
``(j) County Stewardship Fund.--
``(1) In general.--There is established in the Treasury of
the United States a fund to be known as the `County Stewardship
Fund' (referred to in this section as the `Fund'), to be
administered by the Secretary.
``(2) Deposits.--Each fiscal year, an amount equal to 25
percent of the amounts collected as receipts under subsection
(e) during the preceding fiscal year shall be deposited in the
Fund.
``(3) Availability.--Amounts in the Fund shall--
``(A) be used only for purposes described in
paragraph (4); and
``(B) remain available until expended.
``(4) Purposes.--
``(A) In general.--Each fiscal year, the Chief or
the Director, as applicable, shall distribute from
amounts in the Fund to each county in which a contract
under subsection (b) was carried out on Federal land in
the county during the preceding fiscal year a payment
of an amount equal to 25 percent of the receipts
generated from that contract.
``(B) Use of funds.--A county receiving a payment
under subparagraph (A) may use the payment for any
governmental purposes.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on 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.
Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on 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.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Forestry.
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