Strengthening Wildfire Resiliency Through Satellites Act of 2025

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 527 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 527

To direct the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of 
 the United States Geological Survey, to establish a grant program for 
                   monitoring wildfires by satellite.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 16, 2025

Ms. Pettersen (for herself and Mr. Obernolte) introduced the following 
     bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of 
 the United States Geological Survey, to establish a grant program for 
                   monitoring wildfires by satellite.

    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 ``Strengthening Wildfire Resiliency 
Through Satellites Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. MONITORING WILDFIRES BY SATELLITE.

    (a) Grant Program To Monitor Wildfires by Satellite.--
            (1) Establishment.--Not later than one year after the date 
        of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall establish 
        a competitive grant program under which the Secretary shall 
        make at least three grants to eligible entities to monitor 
        wildfires by satellite (in this section referred to as the 
        ``Program'').
            (2) Eligible projects.--Each eligible entity awarded a 
        grant under the Program shall only use such grant to--
                    (A) purchase and integrate, through a public-
                private partnership, high-resolution multi- and hyper-
                spectral full spectrum imaging capability from visible, 
                near-infrared, shortwave infrared, thermal infrared, 
                and radar data from the latest-generation of wildfire 
                monitoring satellites; and
                    (B) use the data acquired under subparagraph (A), 
                as well as any analyses relating to such data, to 
                detect, assess, respond to, and manage wildfires, with 
                an emphasis on--
                            (i) monitoring active fire behavior, burned 
                        area, intensity, and severity;
                            (ii) ensuring the safety and effectiveness 
                        of prescribed fire treatments; and
                            (iii) guiding post-fire risk assessment and 
                        disaster recovery.
            (3) Application.--To be eligible for a grant under the 
        Program, an eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary an 
        application at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
        information as the Secretary may require.
            (4) Grant amount.--Each grant awarded under the Program 
        shall be in an amount the Secretary determines appropriate.
            (5) Report.--Not later than the last day of the second 
        fiscal year beginning after the date of the enactment of this 
        section, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that 
        includes--
                    (A) the number of applications received for a grant 
                under the Program;
                    (B) details of each eligible entity that was 
                awarded a grant under the Program;
                    (C) the impact of the Program on wildfire 
                prevention;
                    (D) any recommendation that the Secretary 
                determines appropriate to establish the Program as a 
                long-term grant program; and
                    (E) any other information on the effectiveness of 
                the Program that the Secretary determines appropriate.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 
through 2028 to carry out the Program.
    (c) Definitions.--In this section--
            (1) the term ``eligible entity'' means a State forester, 
        emergency manager, or equivalent State official; and
            (2) the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of the 
        Interior, acting through the Director of the United States 
        Geological Survey.
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