119-s1462

<DELETED>

(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Fix Our
Forests Act''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act
is as follows:</DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>TITLE I--LANDSCAPE-SCALE RESTORATION

<DELETED>Subtitle A--Addressing Emergency Wildfire Risks in High-
priority Firesheds

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>Subtitle B--Expanding Collaborative Tools to Reduce Wildfire
Risk and Improve Forest Health

<DELETED>

payments under good neighbor agreements.
<DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

Program.
<DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

projects.
<DELETED>Subtitle C--Litigation Reform

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>Subtitle D--Prescribed Fire

<DELETED>

practices.
<DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

fire.
<DELETED>

<DELETED>TITLE II--PROTECTING COMMUNITIES IN WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE

<DELETED>Subtitle A--Community Wildfire Risk Reduction

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

improvements.
<DELETED>

<DELETED>Subtitle B--Vegetation Management, Reforestation, and Local
Fire Suppression

<DELETED>

operation and maintenance relating to
electric transmission and distribution
facility rights-of-way.
<DELETED>

<DELETED>

trees.
<DELETED>

<DELETED>

restoration projects.
<DELETED>

support.
<DELETED>

<DELETED>TITLE III--TRANSPARENCY, TECHNOLOGY, AND PARTNERSHIPS

<DELETED>Subtitle A--Transparency and Technology

<DELETED>

conservation, health, and advancements in
research.
<DELETED>

<DELETED>

demonstration partnership.
<DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>Subtitle B--White Oak Resilience

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

restoration.
<DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>TITLE IV--ENSURING CASUALTY ASSISTANCE FOR FIREFIGHTERS

<DELETED>

Program.

<DELETED>

<DELETED> In this Act:</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) End water user.--The term ``end water user''
has the meaning given the term in

(a) of the Healthy
Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6542

(a) ).</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Executive director.--The term ``Executive
Director'' means the Executive Director of the Wildfire
Intelligence Center appointed under

(g) .</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) Fireshed.--The term ``fireshed'' means a
landscape-scale area, as delineated using methods developed
through research conducted by the Forest Service, that
represents similar source levels of community exposure to
wildfire.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(4) Fireshed management area.--The term ``fireshed
management area'' means a fireshed management area designated
under

(a) .</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(5) Fireshed management project.--The term
``fireshed management project'' means any of the following
forest or vegetation management activities:</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) A hazardous fuels management
activity.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) Creating a fuel break or fire
break.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) Removing hazard trees, dead trees, or
dying trees, as determined by a responsible
official.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(D) Developing, approving, or conducting
routine maintenance under a vegetation management,
facility inspection, and operation and maintenance plan
under

(c) of the Federal Land Policy and
Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1772
(c) ).</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(E) Removing trees to address overstocking
or crowding in a forest stand, consistent with
achieving the appropriate basal area of the forest
stand, as determined by a responsible
official.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(F) Using treatments to address insects or
disease or to control vegetation competition or
invasive species.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(G) A wet-meadow, floodplain, or riparian
restoration activity that increases wildfire
resistance.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(H) A forest stand improvement activity
necessary to protect life and property from
catastrophic wildfire, as determined by a responsible
official.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(I) Any combination of activities
described in this paragraph.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(6) Fireshed registry.--The term ``Fireshed
Registry'' means the registry established under

(a) .</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(7) Forest plan.--The term ``forest plan'' means--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) a land use plan prepared by the Bureau
of Land Management for public land pursuant to

1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712);</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) a land and resource management plan
prepared by the Forest Service for a unit of the
National Forest System pursuant to

Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act
of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1604); and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) a forest management plan (as defined
in

Management Act (25 U.S.C. 3103)) with respect to Indian
forest land or rangeland.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(8) Governor.--The term ``Governor'' means the
Governor or other appropriate executive official of--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) a State; or</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) an Indian Tribe.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(9) Hazardous fuels management activity.--The term
``hazardous fuels management activity'' means a vegetation
management activity, or any combination of such activities,
that reduces the risk of wildfire, including mechanical
thinning, mastication, prescribed burning, cultural burning (as
determined by an applicable Indian Tribe), timber harvest, and
grazing.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(10) HFRA terms.--The terms ``at-risk community'',
``community wildfire protection plan'', and ``wildland-urban
interface'' have the meanings given those terms in

of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C.
6511).</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(11) Indian forest land or rangeland.--The term
``Indian forest land or rangeland'' means land that--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) is held in trust, or subject to a
restriction against alienation, by the United States
for an Indian Tribe or a member of an Indian Tribe;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B)
(i) is Indian forest land (as defined
in

Management Act (25 U.S.C. 3103)); or</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii)
(I) has a cover of grasses, brush, or
any similar vegetation; or</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(II) formerly had a forest cover or
vegetative cover that is capable of
restoration.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(12) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian Tribe'' has
the meaning given the term in

Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C.
5304).</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(13) National forest system.--The term ``National
Forest System'' has the meaning given the term in

(a) of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of
1974 (16 U.S.C. 1609

(a) ).</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(14) Public land.--The term ``public land''
means--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) public lands (as defined in

1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702));</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) the land reconveyed to the United
States pursuant to the first section of the Act of
February 26, 1919 (40 Stat. 1179, chapter 47) (commonly
known as ``Coos Bay Wagon Road Grant lands'') under the
jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) the land revested in the United States
by the Act of June 9, 1916 (39 Stat. 218, chapter 137)
(commonly known as ``Oregon and California Railroad
Grant lands'') under the jurisdiction of the Secretary
of the Interior.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(15) Relevant committees of congress.--The term
``relevant committees of Congress'' means--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) in the Senate--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) the Committee on Agriculture,
Nutrition, and Forestry; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) in the House of Representatives--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) the Committee on Agriculture;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) the Committee on Natural
Resources.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(16) Secretaries.--The term ``Secretaries''
means--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) the Secretary; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) the Secretary of the
Interior.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(17) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the
Secretary of Agriculture.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(18) Secretary concerned.--The term ``Secretary
concerned'' means--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) the Secretary, with respect to
National Forest System land; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) the Secretary of the Interior, with
respect to public land.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(19) Special district.--The term ``special
district'' means a political subdivision of a State that--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) has significant budgetary autonomy or
control;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) was established by, or pursuant to,
the laws of the State for the purpose of performing a
limited and specific governmental or proprietary
function primarily relating to land management;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) is distinct from any other unit of
local government within the State.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(20) State.--The term ``State'' means--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) each of the several States;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) the District of Columbia;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) each territory of the United
States.</DELETED>

<DELETED>TITLE I--LANDSCAPE-SCALE RESTORATION</DELETED>

<DELETED>Subtitle A--Addressing Emergency Wildfire Risks in High-
priority Firesheds</DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a) Designations.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) Initial designations.--Subject to paragraph

(4) , for the 5-year period beginning on the date of enactment
of this Act, the following firesheds are designated as fireshed
management areas:</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) Each landscape-scale fireshed
identified as a ``high-risk fireshed'' in the document
published by the Forest Service entitled ``Wildfire
Crisis Strategy'' and dated January 2022.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) Of the 7,688 firesheds described in
the report published by the Rocky Mountain Research
Station of the Forest Service in 2019, each landscape-
scale fireshed identified by the Secretary, in
consultation with the Secretary of the Interior, as
being in the top 20 percent for wildfire exposure based
on the following criteria:</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) Wildfire exposure and
corresponding risk to communities, including
risk to life, critical infrastructure, and
other structures.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) Wildfire exposure and
corresponding risk to municipal watersheds,
including Tribal water supplies and
systems.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iii) Risk of vegetation type
conversion due to wildfire, based on
information from existing forest plans, State
forest action plans, and best available
science.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Designations in alaska, hawaii, and
territories.--Not later than 30 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the
Secretary of the Interior, shall designate in the States of
Alaska and Hawaii and the territories of the United States such
additional fireshed management areas as the Secretaries
determine to be appropriate, based on the criteria described in
clauses
(i) through
(iii) of paragraph

(1)
(B) .</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) Map-based updated designations.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) Map of firesheds.--Not later than the
date that is 5 years after the date of enactment of
this Act, and not less frequently than once every 5
years thereafter, the Secretary, in consultation with
the Secretary of the Interior, shall submit to the
relevant committees of Congress an updated map of
firesheds, which shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) be based on the Fireshed
Registry; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) include firesheds in the
States of Alaska and Hawaii and the territories
of the United States.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) Fireshed management areas.--Not later
than 60 days after submitting an updated fireshed map
under subparagraph
(A) , the Secretary shall designate
as a fireshed management area each fireshed depicted on
that map that the Secretary, in consultation with the
Secretary of the Interior, identifies as being in the
top 20 percent of firesheds at risk of wildfire
exposure based on the criteria described in clauses
(i) through
(iii) of paragraph

(1)
(B) and in accordance
with this section.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) Publication.--The Secretary shall make
each updated map prepared under this paragraph publicly
available on the Fireshed Registry.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(4) Land location and content.--A fireshed
management area designated under this subsection--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) shall not overlap with any other
fireshed management area; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) may contain Federal and non-Federal
land, including Indian forest land or
rangeland.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(5) Combining multiple firesheds.--On receipt of a
request of an affected Governor, the Secretary, in consultation
with the Secretary of the Interior, may expand a fireshed
management area designated under this subsection to include
more than 1 fireshed.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b) Use.--The Secretary concerned may carry out fireshed
management projects on the fireshed management areas designated under
this section.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(c) Applicability of NEPA.--The designation of a fireshed
management area under this section shall not be subject to the
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).</DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a)

technologies identified under that pilot program and technology
systems related to addressing wildfire and smoke for purposes
of scaling such technologies and systems across Federal
agencies.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(e) Administration.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) In general.--The Secretary and the Secretary
of the Interior shall cooperatively administer the
Center.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Transfer of funds.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph
(B) , the Secretary and the Secretary of the Interior
may transfer funds provided to establish, and carry out
the duties of, the Center between--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) the Forest Service;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) the United States Geological
Survey.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) Notice required.--Not later than 15
days before transferring funds under subparagraph
(A) ,
the Secretary or the Secretary of the Interior, as
applicable, shall submit to the Committee on
Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives a notice
of the proposed transfer.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(f) Board.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) Membership.--The Center shall be governed by a
Board, to be composed of 16 members, as follows:</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) 1 member who is a career employee of
the Department of Agriculture, to be appointed by the
Secretary.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) 1 member who is a career employee of
the research and development areas of the Forest
Service, to be appointed by the Chief of the Forest
Service.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) 1 member who is a career employee in
fire and aviation management of the Forest Service, to
be appointed by the Chief of the Forest
Service.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(D) 1 member who is a career employee of
the Department of the Interior, to be appointed by the
Secretary of the Interior.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(E) 1 member who is a career employee of
the Bureau of Land Management, to be appointed by the
Director of the Bureau of Land Management.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(F) 1 member who is a career employee of
the Bureau of Indian Affairs, to be appointed by the
Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(G) 1 member who is a career employee of
the National Park Service, to be appointed by the
Director of the National Park Service.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(H) 1 member who is a career employee of
the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, to be
appointed by the Director of the United States Fish and
Wildlife Service.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(I) 1 member who is a career employee of
the United States Geological Survey, to be appointed by
the Director of the United States Geological
Survey.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(J) 1 member who is a career employee of
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to
be appointed by the Administrator of the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(K) 1 member who is a career employee of
the National Weather Service, to be appointed by the
Director of the National Weather Service.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(L) 1 member who is a career employee of
the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to be
appointed by the Administrator of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(M) 1 member who is a career employee of
the United States Fire Administration, to be appointed
by the Administrator of the United States Fire
Administration.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(N) 1 member who is a career employee of
the Department of Defense, to be appointed by the
Secretary of Defense.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(O) 1 member who is a career employee of
the National Science Foundation, to be appointed by the
Director of the National Science Foundation.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(P) 1 member who is a career employee of
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, to
be appointed by the Administrator of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Terms.--A member of the Board--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) shall be appointed for a term of 3
years; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) may be reappointed for not more than 3
additional terms.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) Chairperson; vice chairperson.--The
Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the Board shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) be selected by the members of the
Board from among the members appointed under
subparagraphs
(B) ,
(I) , and
(J) of paragraph

(1) ;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) serve for a term of 1 year.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(4) Majority vote.--A voting consensus by the
Board shall be not less than a \2/3\ majority vote of the
members present.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(5) Nonvoting status.--At the discretion of the
Board, the Board may include nonvoting observers to the
Board.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(g) Executive Director.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) In general.--The Center shall have an
Executive Director, who shall be appointed by, and serve at the
direction of, the Board.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Drought monitoring.--The Executive Director
shall engage with relevant Federal agencies, State agencies,
and entities in the private sector to improve drought
monitoring, forecasting, communication, and response that may
be essential to the core functions of the Center, if the
Executive Director determines that the engagement is
appropriate, beneficial, and cost-effective.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) Contracting authority.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) In general.--The Executive Director
may enter into and perform contracts, agreements,
memoranda of understanding, or other, similar
transactions, as the Executive Director determines to
be appropriate to carry out the functions of the Center
described in subsection
(d) .</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) Report.--Not later than 180 days after
the date of enactment of this Act, the Board and the
Executive Director shall submit to the relevant
committees of Congress a report that provides--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) an assessment of existing
contracting authorities of the Executive
Director;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) recommendations regarding
whether any new contracting authorities or
modifications of existing contracting
authorities are needed; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iii) a description of
technologies that may be commercially available
to perform the functions of the Center,
together with the costs and timelines of
procuring those technologies or developing
relevant capabilities.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(h) Detailees.--The Secretary and the Secretary of the
Interior may detail or assign to the Center such employees of the
Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior,
respectively, as the Secretaries determine to be necessary to carry out
the duties of the Center.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) Interagency Financing.--Notwithstanding

the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2023
(Public Law 117-328; 136 Stat. 4706), or any other, similar provision
of law, interagency financing may be used to fund the Center.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(j) Coordination With Other Agencies and Entities.--To
carry out the functions of the Center described in subsection
(d) , the
Board shall coordinate with agencies represented on the Board and other
relevant entities, including--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) the National Wildfire Coordinating
Group;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) State and Tribal governments;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) any other agency that--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) is responsible for the management of
Federal or State land; or</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) has data, science, and technology
expertise relevant to the Center; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(4) any other relevant Federal, State, Tribal, or
nongovernmental entity that is representative of an element of
the wildland fire community.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(k) Operational Plan.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the
appointment of the Executive Director, the Executive Director
shall submit to the relevant committees of Congress an
operational plan describing--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) the structure of the Center;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) staffing and funding needs of the
Center;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) technological capabilities within the
Department of Agriculture, the Department of the
Interior, and the other Federal departments and
agencies comprising the Board that are available to the
Center;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(D) an assessment of the potential of
commercially available technologies to perform the
functions of the Center; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(E) a timeline for full operational
functioning of the Center.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Inclusions.--The plan under paragraph

(1) shall include estimated costs, key milestones, coordination
strategies with Federal, State, and private entities, and
recommendations for ensuring the effective operation of the
Center.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) Updates.--The Director shall update the plan
not less frequently than annually to reflect progress,
adjustments in funding, and the adoption of new
technologies.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(l) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section affects
the ownership of any data source.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a) Establishment.--The Secretaries, acting through the
Executive Director, shall establish and maintain, on a publicly
accessible website, a registry, to be known as the ``Fireshed
Registry'', that provides interactive geospatial data relating to
individual firesheds, including information relating to--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) wildland fire exposure, delineated by
ownership, including rights-of-way for utilities and other
public or private purposes;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) any hazardous fuels management activities that
have occurred within an individual fireshed during the
preceding 10 years;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) wildland fire exposure with respect to a
fireshed, delineated by--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) wildfire exposure and corresponding
risk to communities, including risk to life, critical
infrastructure, and other structures;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) wildfire exposure and corresponding
risk to municipal watersheds, including Tribal water
supplies and systems; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) risk of vegetation type conversion due
to wildfire;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(4) the percentage of a fireshed burned in
wildfire during the preceding 10 years, including, to the
extent practicable, delineations of acres that have burned at a
high severity;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(5) spatial patterns of wildfire exposure,
including plausible extreme fire events; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(6) any hazardous fuels management activities
planned for a fireshed, including fireshed management
projects.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b) Community Wildfire Protection Plans.--The Executive
Director shall make data from the Fireshed Registry available to local
communities developing or updating community wildfire protection
plans.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(c) Maintenance.--As part of the website containing the
Fireshed Registry, the Executive Director shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) publish fireshed assessments conducted under

<DELETED>

(2) maintain a searchable database to track--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) the status of Federal environmental
reviews, permits, and authorizations for fireshed
management projects, including--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) a comprehensive permitting
timetable;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) the status of the compliance
of each lead agency, cooperating agency, and
participating agency with the permitting
timetable with respect to fireshed management
projects;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iii) any required modifications
of the permitting timetable under clause
(i) ,
including an explanation regarding why the
permitting timetable was modified;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iv) information regarding any
public meetings, public hearings, and public
comment periods relating to a fireshed
management project, as that information becomes
available, which shall be presented in--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(I) English; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(II) the predominant
language of each community that is most
affected by the fireshed management
project, as that information becomes
available;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) the projected cost of fireshed
management projects; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) in the case of a completed fireshed
management project, the estimated effectiveness of the
fireshed management project in--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) reducing the wildfire exposure
within the applicable fireshed, including
wildfire exposure described in subparagraphs
(A) through
(C) of subsection

(a)

(3) ;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) increasing the resilience of
wildlife habitats, including habitat for
species listed as threatened or endangered
under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(d) Incorporation of Existing Assessments and Data.--In
carrying out this section, the Executive Director shall incorporate any
assessments completed or data gathered through existing partnerships,
to the extent practicable.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(e) Applicability of NEPA.--The establishment and
maintenance of the Fireshed Registry under this section shall not be
subject to the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).</DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a) Joint Agreements.--The Secretary concerned shall seek
to use an existing shared stewardship agreement, modify an existing
shared stewardship agreement, or enter into a similar agreement with
the Governor of each State and Indian Tribe that contains a fireshed
management area designated under

(a) to jointly--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) promote the reduction of wildfire exposure,
based on the criteria described in clauses
(i) through
(iii) of

(a)

(1)
(B) , in fireshed management areas across
jurisdictional boundaries; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) conduct fireshed assessments under

<DELETED>

(b) Adjustment of Boundaries and Updates to Agreements.--
With respect to an agreement under subsection

(a) , the Secretary
concerned, on request of the applicable Governor, may--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) adjust the boundaries of any applicable
fireshed management area; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) update the agreement to address any new
wildfire threats.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(c) Cooperative Agreements.--The Secretary and the
Secretary of the Interior may enter into cooperative agreements with
units of local government, special districts, end water users,
nongovernmental organizations, institutions of higher education, and
other entities, at the discretion of the applicable Secretary to carry
out the activities described in paragraphs

(1) and

(2) of subsection

(a) .</DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a) In General.--Not later than 120 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary concerned, in cooperation with the
Governor with whom the Secretary concerned enters into an agreement
under

(a) , if applicable, shall conduct a fireshed
assessment in accordance with this section with respect to each
fireshed management area designated in the applicable State or area of
Tribal land.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b) Requirements.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) In general.--Each fireshed assessment under
subsection

(a) shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) identify--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) using the best available
science, wildfire exposure risks within the
applicable fireshed management area, including
scenario planning and wildfire hazard mapping
and models; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) each at-risk community within
the fireshed management area;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) identify the types of fireshed
management projects that could benefit the fireshed
management area, with an emphasis on reducing--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) wildfire exposure and
corresponding risk to communities, including
risk to life, critical infrastructure, and
other structures;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) wildfire exposure and
corresponding risk to municipal watersheds,
including Tribal water supplies and
systems;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iii) risk of vegetation type
conversion due to wildfire;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iv) wildfire risk for wildlife
habitats, including habitat for species listed
as threatened or endangered under the
Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531
et seq.);</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(v) wildfire risk to resources of
an Indian Tribe, as defined by the Indian
Tribe; or</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(vi) any combination of purposes
described in clauses
(i) through
(v) ;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) include, with respect to the
applicable fireshed management area--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) a strategy for reducing the
threat of wildfire--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(I) to protect at-risk
communities in the wildland-urban
interface on Federal and non-Federal
land;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(II) to improve the
effectiveness of wildfire firefighting,
particularly the effectiveness of fuels
treatments that would improve wildfire
firefighter safety during wildfires;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(III) to reduce risk to
wildlife habitats, including habitat
for species listed as threatened or
endangered under the Endangered Species
Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et
seq.);</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) a timeline for the
implementation of fireshed management
projects;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iii) long-term benchmark goals
for the completion of fireshed management
projects in the highest wildfire exposure areas
to ensure that those fireshed management
projects contribute to the development and
maintenance of healthy and resilient
landscapes;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iv) a strategy to ensure that
fireshed management projects comply with
applicable forest plans and incorporate the
best available science; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(v) a strategy for maximizing the
retention of late-successional forests, to the
extent that the trees promote stands that are
resilient to insects and disease, and reduce
the risk or extent of, or increase resilience
to, wildfires.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Existing plans.--To the maximum extent
practicable, a fireshed assessment shall incorporate and build
on information, planning, and strategies contained in relevant
forest plans, State forest action plans, watershed management
plans, community wildfire protection plans, and similar locally
led landscape-scale planning documents.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) Participation.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) State, tribal, and local
governments.--In addition to the parties to an
applicable agreement described in subsection

(a) , the
Secretary concerned shall coordinate with States,
Indian Tribes, units of local government, and other
entities that are parties to an agreement under

(c) within a fireshed management area in conducting
the fireshed assessment under paragraph

(1) .</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) Public.--In carrying out a fireshed
assessment under this section, the Secretary concerned
shall provide an opportunity for public participation
during the 45-day period beginning on the date of
initiation of the assessment, including--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) publication of information
regarding the development of the assessment--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(I) on a website
maintained by the Secretary concerned;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(II) at convenient
locations within the applicable
fireshed management area; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) at least 1 public
meeting.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(c) Updates and Availability.--Each fireshed assessment
under subsection

(a) shall be--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) regularly updated based on the best available
science, subject to the requirements of subsection
(d) (2) ;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) made publicly available on 1 or more websites
maintained by the Secretary concerned, including the Fireshed
Registry.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(d) Information Improvement.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) Memoranda of understanding.--In carrying out a
fireshed assessment under this section, the Secretary concerned
may enter into memoranda of understanding with other Federal
departments and agencies (including the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration), States, Indian Tribes, private
entities, or research or educational institutions to improve,
with respect to the assessment, the use and integration of--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) advanced remote sensing and geospatial
technologies;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) statistical modeling and analysis;
or</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) any other technology or combination of
technologies and analyses that the Secretary concerned
determines will benefit the quality of information in
the assessment.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Best available science.--In using the best
available science for a fireshed assessment under this section,
the Secretary concerned and the applicable Governor shall
incorporate, to the maximum extent practicable--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) traditional ecological knowledge from
Indian Tribes;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) data from State forest action plans
and State wildfire risk assessments;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) data from the Fireshed Registry;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(D) data from other Federal, State,
Tribal, and local governments or agencies.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(e) Applicability of NEPA.--A fireshed assessment under
this section shall not be subject to the requirements of the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).</DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a) Fireshed Management Projects.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through a
responsible official, shall carry out fireshed management
projects on land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary
concerned in fireshed management areas in accordance with this
section, the applicable forest plan, and the laws (including
regulations) applicable to the Secretary concerned.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Applicability of other provisions.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) In general.--The following shall have
the force and effect of law with respect to any
fireshed management project carried out in a fireshed
management area:</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) Section 220.4

(b) of title 36,
Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on
April 9, 2025), with respect to land under the
jurisdiction of the Secretary.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) Section 46.150 of title 43,
Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on
April 9, 2025), with respect to land under the
jurisdiction of the Secretary of the
Interior.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iii) Section 402.05 of title 50,
Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on
April 9, 2025).</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iv) Section 800.12 of title 36,
Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on
April 9, 2025), except that any reference
contained in that regulation to an ``agency
official'' shall be considered to be a
reference to a responsible official.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) Determination of emergency.--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) In general.--A regulation
referred to in subparagraph
(A) shall not apply
pursuant to that subparagraph with respect to a
fireshed management project unless, before
carrying out the fireshed management project, a
responsible official--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(I) determines, in
accordance with the regulation, that an
emergency or emergency circumstance
exists;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(II) completes any
documentation or identification
processes required under such
regulation; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(III) provides public
notice of the determination of
emergency and each related fireshed
management project activity by
publishing such determination on a
website maintained by the Secretary
concerned.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) Requirement.--In carrying out
a fireshed management project under a
regulation referred to in subparagraph
(A) , a
responsible official shall ensure that such
fireshed management project is consistent with
the applicable forest plan and the laws
(including regulations) and policies applicable
to the Secretary concerned.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) Further clarification.--A regulation
referred to in subparagraph
(A) shall not apply to any
fireshed management project unless such fireshed
management project will achieve a land management goal
described in

(c) of the Healthy Forests
Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591c
(c) ).</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(D) Utilization of existing streamlined
authorities in fireshed management areas.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) In general.--Not later than 2
years after the date of enactment of this Act,
with respect to each fireshed management area
that contains Federal land, the Secretary
concerned, acting through a responsible
official, shall use not fewer than 1 of the
following expedited authorities for
environmental review to carry out fireshed
management projects:</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(I) Section 603

(a) of the
Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003
(16 U.S.C. 6591b

(a) ).</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(II) Section 605

(a) of the
Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003
(16 U.S.C. 6591d

(a) ).</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(III) Section 606

(b) of
the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of
2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591e

(b) ).</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(IV) Section 40806

(b) of
the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs
Act (16 U.S.C. 6592b

(b) ).</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) Compliance with nepa.--In
applying expedited authorities for
environmental review to carry out fireshed
management projects under clause
(i) , the
Secretary concerned shall ensure--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(I) such project is
carried out in accordance with the
statute establishing the categorical
exclusion applied by the Secretary
concerned;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(II) compliance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.);
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(III) such project is
carried out in accordance with the
applicable forest plan or resource
management plan and the laws and
policies applicable to the Secretary
concerned.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iii) Additional emergency
actions.--The Secretary may declare an
emergency pursuant to

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (16
U.S.C. 6592c) for any fireshed management
project.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iv) Fiscal responsibility act
requirements.--In carrying out this section,
the Secretary concerned shall ensure compliance
with the amendments made to the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C.
4321 et seq.) by the Fiscal Responsibility Act
of 2023 (Public Law 118-5; 137 Stat.
38).</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(v) Use of other authorities.--To
the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary
concerned shall use the authorities provided
under this section in combination with other
authorities to carry out fireshed management
projects, including--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(I) good neighbor
agreements under

Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C.
2113a) (as amended by this
Act);</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(II) stewardship
contracting projects entered into under

Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C.
6591c) (as amended by this
Act);</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(III) self-determination
contracts and self-governance compact
agreements entered into under the
Indian Self-Determination and Education
Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5301 et
seq.); and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(IV) agreements entered
into under the Tribal Forest Protection
Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-278; 118
Stat. 868).</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b) Expansion.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) Healthy forests restoration act amendments.--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) === Definitions. ===
-

Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6502) is
amended--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) in paragraph

(2) , by striking
``450b'' and inserting ``5304''; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) by adding at the end the
following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(3) Local government.--The term `local
government' means--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(A) a county;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(B) a municipality; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(C) a special district.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(4) Special district.--The term `special
district' means a political subdivision of a State that--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(A) has significant budgetary autonomy
or control;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(B) was established by, or pursuant to,
the laws of the State for the purpose of performing a
limited and specific governmental or proprietary
function primarily relating to forest or rangeland
management; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(C) is distinct from any other unit of
local government within the State.''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) Administrative review.--

(c) of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16
U.S.C. 6591b
(c) ) is amended--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) in paragraph

(1) , by striking
``3000 acres'' and inserting ``10,000 acres'';
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) in paragraph

(2)
(B) , by
striking ``Fire Regime Groups I, II, or III''
and inserting ``Fire Regime I, Fire Regime II,
Fire Regime III, or Fire Regime IV''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) Wildfire resilience projects.--

(c) of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003
(16 U.S.C. 6591d
(c) ) is amended--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) in paragraph

(1) , by striking
``3000 acres'' and inserting ``10,000 acres'';
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) in paragraph

(4) , by striking
``code of Federal regulations (or successor
regulations)'' and inserting ``Code of Federal
regulations (or a successor
regulation)''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(D) Greater sage-grouse and mule deer
habitat.--

Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591e) is amended--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) in subsection

(a)

(1)
(A) --
</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(I) by striking clause
(ii) ;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(II) by redesignating
clauses
(iii) through
(vii) as clauses
(ii) through
(vi) , respectively;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(III) in clause
(iii) (as
so redesignated), in the matter
preceding subclause
(I) , by striking
``in a sagebrush steppe
ecosystem'';</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) in subsection
(c) , by
striking ``concurrently for both greater sage-
grouse and'' and inserting ``for greater sage-
grouse or''; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iii) in subsection

(g)

(1) , by
striking ``4,500 acres'' and inserting ``7,500
acres''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Infrastructure investment and jobs act
amendment.--

(d) (1) of the Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 6592b
(d) (1) ) is amended by
striking ``3,000 acres'' and inserting ``10,000
acres''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED> The authority under this subtitle terminates on the date
that is 7 years after the date of enactment of this Act.</DELETED>

<DELETED>Subtitle B--Expanding Collaborative Tools to Reduce Wildfire
Risk and Improve Forest Health</DELETED>

<DELETED>

PAYMENTS UNDER GOOD NEIGHBOR AGREEMENTS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a) Good Neighbor Authority.--

Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a) is amended--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) in subsection

(a) --</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) in paragraph

(1)
(B) , by striking
``either the Secretary or a Governor or county'' and
inserting ``the Secretary, a Governor, an Indian tribe,
a special district, or a county'';</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) in paragraph

(5) , by striking
``Governor or'' and inserting ``Governor, an Indian
tribe, a special district, or a'';</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) in paragraph

(6) , by striking ``or
Indian tribe''; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(D) by adding at the end the
following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(11) Special district.--The term `special
district' means a political subdivision of a State that--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(A) has significant budgetary autonomy
or control;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(B) was established by, or pursuant to,
the laws of the State for the purpose of performing a
limited and specific governmental or proprietary
function primarily relating to forest or rangeland
management; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(C) is distinct from any other unit of
local government within the State.''; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) in subsection

(b) --</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) in paragraph

(1)
(A) , by striking ``or
county'' and inserting ``, an Indian tribe, a special
district, or a county'';</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) in paragraph

(2)
(C) --</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) in clause
(i) --</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(I) in the matter
preceding subclause
(I) , by inserting
``special district,'' after ``Indian
Tribe,'' each place it
appears;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(II) in subclause
(I) --
</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(aa) by striking
``on''; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(bb) by striking
``; and'' and inserting a
semicolon;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(III) in subclause
(II) --
</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(aa) in the matter
preceding item

(aa) , by
striking ``clause
(i) '' and
inserting ``subclause
(I) '';
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(bb) in item

(bb) ,
by striking ``the Good Neighbor
Authority for Recreation Act.''
and inserting ``

the EXPLORE Act (16 U.S.C.
8571);''; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(IV) by adding at the end
the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(III) if there are funds
remaining after carrying out subclause
(II) --</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(aa) to carry
out authorized restoration
services under other good
neighbor agreements;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(bb) for the
administration of a good
neighbor authority program by a
Governor, Indian tribe, special
district, or county.'';
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) in clause
(ii) , by striking
``2028'' and inserting ``2030'';</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) in paragraph

(3) , by striking ``or
county'' and inserting ``, an Indian tribe, a special
district, or a county''; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(D) by striking paragraph

(4) .</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b) Technical Amendment.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) In general.--

Public Law 118-42 (138 Stat. 297) is amended, in the matter
preceding paragraph

(1) , by striking ``Agriculture Act of
2014'' and inserting ``Agricultural Act of 2014''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Effective date.--The amendment made by
paragraph

(1) shall take effect on the date of enactment of
Public Law 118-42 (138 Stat. 25).</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection

(a) shall apply to any project initiated pursuant to a good neighbor
agreement (as defined in

(a) of the Agricultural Act of
2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a

(a) ))--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) before the date of enactment of this Act, if
the project was initiated after the date of enactment of the
Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-334; 132
Stat. 4490); or</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) on or after the date of enactment of this
Act.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

(16 U.S.C. 6591c) is amended--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) in subsection

(b) , by inserting ``, including
retaining and expanding existing forest products
infrastructure'' before the period at the end; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) in subsection
(d) (3)
(B) , by striking ``10
years'' and inserting ``20 years''; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) in subsection

(h) , by adding at the end the
following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(4) Special rule for long-term stewardship
contracts.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(A) Definition of long-term contract.--
In this paragraph, the term `long-term contract' means
an agreement or contract under subsection

(b) that--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(i) has a term of longer than 5
years; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(ii) is entered into on or after
the date of enactment of this
paragraph.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(B) Special rule.--A long-term contract
entered into under subsection

(b) by the Chief or the
Director with an entity shall provide that, in the case
of cancellation or termination of the long-term
contract by the Chief or the Director, the Chief or the
Director, as applicable, shall provide to the entity an
amount equal to 10 percent of the long-term contract
amount as cancellation or termination
costs.''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a) Establishment.--The Secretary concerned shall
establish intra-agency strike teams to assist the Secretary concerned
with--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) any reviews, including analysis under the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et
seq.), consultations under division A of subtitle III of title
54, United States Code (formerly known as the ``National
Historic Preservation Act''), and consultations under the
Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), with
the intent to accelerate and streamline interagency
consultation processes;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) the implementation of any necessary site
preparation work in advance of, or as part of, a fireshed
management project;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) the implementation of fireshed management
projects; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(4) any combination of purposes described in
paragraphs

(1) through

(3) .</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b) Members.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) In general.--The Secretary concerned may
appoint not more than 10 individuals to serve on an intra-
agency strike team under this section, to be composed of--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) employees of the department under the
jurisdiction of the Secretary concerned;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) employees of a different Federal
department or agency, with the consent of the head of
that department or agency; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) private contractors or volunteers from
any nonprofit organization, State government, Indian
Tribe, local government, quasi-governmental agency,
academic institution, or private
organization.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Requirement.--In appointing individuals under
paragraph

(1) , the Secretary concerned shall appoint not fewer
than 1 employee of the Federal agency with jurisdiction over
the applicable Federal land.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(c) Review Responsibility.--The Secretary concerned
shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) determine the sufficiency of the documents
prepared by an intra-agency strike team under this section;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) retain responsibility for any authorizing
decision relating to such a document.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(d) Sunset.--The authority under this section terminates
on the date that is 7 years after the date of enactment of this
Act.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

(d) of the National Forest Management Act of
1976 (16 U.S.C. 472a
(d) ) is amended, in the first sentence, by striking
``$10,000'' and inserting ``$55,000''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

PROGRAM.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

Act (16 U.S.C. 6592d) is amended--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) in subsection

(a)

(2) --</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) in subparagraph
(B) , by striking
``or'' at the end;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) in subparagraph
(C) , by striking the
period at the end and inserting a semicolon;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) by adding at the end the
following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(D) to recover from wildfire;
or</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(E) to enhance soil, water, and related
natural resources.'';</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) in subsection
(d) (1) --</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) in subparagraph
(A) , by inserting
``and post-wildfire impacts'' after ``wildfire risk'';
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) in subparagraph
(F) , by inserting ``,
as identified in the corresponding State forest action
plan or similar priority plan (such as a State wildlife
or water plan)'' before the semicolon;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) in subsection

(g) , by striking paragraph

(2) and inserting the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(2) Additional reports.--For each of fiscal
years 2022 and 2023, and not less frequently than once every 2
fiscal years thereafter, the Chiefs shall submit a report
describing projects for which funding is provided under the
Program, including the status and outcomes of those projects,
to--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(A) in the Senate--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(i) the Committee on
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(ii) the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(iii) the Committee on
Appropriations; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(B) in the House of Representatives--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(i) the Committee on
Agriculture;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(ii) the Committee on Natural
Resources; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(iii) the Committee on
Appropriations.''; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(4) in subsection

(h)

(1) , by striking ``and 2023''
and inserting ``through 2031''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

PROGRAM.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

2009 (16 U.S.C. 7303) is amended--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) in subsection

(b) --</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) in paragraph

(2)
(B)
(ii) , by striking
``500 note'' and inserting ``7125''; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) in paragraph

(3) --</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) in the matter preceding
subparagraph
(A) , by striking ``plans to--''
and inserting ``plans--'';</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) in each of subparagraphs
(A) through
(H) , by inserting ``to'' after the
subparagraph designation; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iii) in subparagraph
(D) , by
inserting ``or pathogens'' before the
semicolon;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) in subsection
(c) (3)
(A) --</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) in clause
(i) , by striking ``and'' at
the end;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) in clause
(ii) , by adding ``and''
after the semicolon at the end; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) by adding at the end the
following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(iii) include a Federal
Government staffing plan for providing staff to
support collaborative processes established
under subsection

(b)

(2) ;'';</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) in subsection
(d) --</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) in paragraph

(2) --</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) in subparagraph
(E) , by
striking ``and'' at the end;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) in subparagraph
(F) , by
striking the period at the end and inserting a
semicolon; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iii) by adding at the end the
following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(G) proposals that seek to use
innovative implementation mechanisms, including good
neighbor agreements entered into under

the Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C.
2113a);</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(H) proposals that seek to reduce the
risk of uncharacteristic wildfire or increase
ecological restoration activities--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(i) within areas across land
ownerships, including State, Tribal, and
private land; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(ii) within the wildland-urban
interface (as defined in

Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16
U.S.C. 6511)); and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(I) proposals that seek to enhance
watershed health and drinking water sources.'';
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) in paragraph

(3) --</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) by striking subparagraph
(A) and inserting the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(A) 4 proposals in any 1 region of the
National Forest System to be funded during any fiscal
year; and'';</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) by striking subparagraph
(B) ;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iii) by redesignating
subparagraph
(C) as subparagraph
(B) ;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(4) in subsection

(e)

(3) , by inserting ``conflict
resolution or collaborative governance,'' before ``and woody'';
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(5) in subsection

(f) --</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) in paragraph

(4)
(B)
(ii) , by striking
``$4,000,000'' and inserting ``$8,000,000'';
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) in paragraph

(6) , by striking ``2023''
and inserting ``2031''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

REDUCTION.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a) Strategy.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) In general.--Not later than 18 months after
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary concerned, in
coordination with the holders of permits to graze livestock on
Federal land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary concerned
and in consultation with other relevant stakeholders, shall
develop a strategy to utilize livestock grazing as a wildfire
risk reduction tool on Federal land, consistent with the laws
applicable to the Secretary concerned.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Inclusions.--The strategy under paragraph

(1) shall include--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) the completion of any reviews required
under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) to allow permitted grazing on
vacant grazing allotments during instances of drought,
wildfire, or other natural disasters that disrupt
grazing on allotments already permitted;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) the use of targeted grazing to reduce
hazardous fuels;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) an increased use of temporary permits
to promote targeted fuels reduction and reduction of
invasive annual grasses;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(D) an increased use of livestock
grazing--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) to eradicate invasive annual
grasses; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) as a post-fire restoration
and recovery strategy, as
appropriate;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(E) an integrated use of advanced
technologies to dynamically adjust livestock
placement;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(F) an increased use of any authorities
applicable to livestock grazing, including
modifications to grazing permits or leases to allow
variances;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(G) the utilization of grazing on Federal
land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary concerned
in a manner that--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) avoids conflicts with other
uses of that Federal land; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) is consistent with any
applicable land management plan; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(H) the use of any other means determined
to be appropriate by the Secretary concerned.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b) Effect on Existing Grazing Programs.--Nothing in this
section affects--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) any livestock grazing program carried out by
the Secretary concerned as of the date of enactment of this
Act; or</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) any statutory authority for any program
described in paragraph

(1) .</DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

(16 U.S.C. 6542) is amended--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) in subsection

(a) --</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) by redesignating paragraphs

(1) through

(7) as paragraphs

(2) through

(8) ,
respectively;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) by inserting before paragraph

(2) (as
so redesignated) the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(1) Adjacent land.--The term `adjacent land'
means non-Federal land, including State, local, and private
land, that is adjacent to, and within the same watershed as,
National Forest System land on which a watershed protection and
restoration project is carried out under this section.'';
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) in paragraph

(2) (as so
redesignated)--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) by redesignating subparagraphs
(G) and
(H) as subparagraphs
(K) and
(L) ,
respectively; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) by inserting after
subparagraph
(F) the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(G) an acequia association;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(H) a local, regional, or other public
entity that manages stormwater or wastewater resources
or other related water infrastructure;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(I) a land-grant mercedes; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(J) a local, regional, or other private
entity that has water delivery authority;'';</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) in subsection

(b) --</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) by inserting ``and adjacent land''
before the period at the end;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) by striking ``The Secretary'' and
inserting the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(1) In general.--The Secretary''; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) by adding at the end the
following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(2) Requirements.--A watershed protection and
restoration project under the Program shall be designed--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(A) to protect and restore watershed
health, water supply and quality, a municipal or
agricultural water supply system, and water-related
infrastructure;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(B) to protect and restore forest health
from insect infestation and disease or wildfire;
or</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(C) to advance any combination of the
purposes described in subparagraphs
(A) and
(B) .</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(3) Priorities.--In selecting watershed
protection and restoration projects under the Program, the
Secretary shall give priority to projects that would--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(A) provide risk management benefits
associated with drought, wildfire, post-wildfire
conditions, extreme weather events, flooding,
resilience to climate change, and watershed and fire
resilience, including minimizing risks to watershed
health, water supply and quality, and water-related
infrastructure, including municipal and agricultural
water supply systems;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(B) support aquatic restoration and
conservation efforts that complement existing or
planned forest restoration or wildfire risk reduction
efforts;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(C) provide quantifiable benefits to
water supply or quality and include the use of nature-
based solutions, such as restoring wetland and riparian
ecosystems;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(D) include--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(i) partners with demonstrated
capacity to, and success in, designing and
implementing ecological restoration projects,
wildfire risk-reduction efforts, or post-
wildfire restoration projects; or</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(ii) in the case of communities
that have historically lacked access to
adequate resources, partners with a strong
likelihood of success in designing and
implementing a watershed protection and
restoration project; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(E) include--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(i) a contribution of funds or
in-kind support from non-Federal partners in an
amount greater than the amount required under
subsection

(g)

(2) ; or</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(ii) such other characteristics
as the Secretary determines to be
appropriate.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(4) Conditions for projects on adjacent land.--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(A) In general.--No project or activity
may be carried out under this section on adjacent land,
unless the owner of the adjacent land provides express
support for, and is a willing and engaged partner in,
carrying out that project or activity.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(B) Effect.--Nothing in this section
authorizes any change in--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(i) the ownership of adjacent
land on which a project or activity is carried
out under this section; or</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(ii) the management of adjacent
land on which a project or activity is carried
out under this section, except during the
carrying out of that project or
activity.'';</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) in subsection
(c) --</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) in paragraph

(1) , by striking
``agreements with'' and all that follows through the
period at the end and inserting the following:
``agreements with end water users to protect and
restore the condition of National Forest watersheds and
adjacent land that provide water to--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(A) end water users; or</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(B) end water users to protect and
restore the condition of National Forest watersheds and
adjacent land that provide water for the benefit of
another end water user.'';</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) in paragraph

(2) --</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) in subparagraph
(C) , by
striking ``or'' at the end;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) by redesignating subparagraph
(D) as subparagraph
(E) ; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iii) by inserting after
subparagraph
(C) the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(D) in the case of an agreement with a
State, a county, or an Indian tribe for a project
carried out on National Forest System land, a good
neighbor agreement entered into under

the Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a); or'';
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) by adding at the end the
following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(3) Cooperation with non-federal partners.--The
Secretary shall cooperate with non-Federal partners in carrying
out assessments, planning, project design, and project
implementation under this section.'';</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(4) in subsection
(d) --</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) by striking paragraph

(2) and
inserting the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(2) Requirements.--A water source management
plan shall be--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(A) designed to protect and restore
ecological integrity (as defined in

title 36, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on
the date of enactment of this subparagraph));</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(B) based on the best available
scientific information; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(C) conducted in a manner consistent
with the forest plan applicable to the National Forest
System land on which the watershed protection and
restoration project is carried out.''; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) by adding at the end the
following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(4) Reducing redundancy.--An existing watershed
plan, such as a watershed protection and restoration action
plan developed under

(a)

(3) , or other applicable
watershed planning documents approved by the Secretary may be
used as the basis for a water source management plan under this
subsection.'';</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(5) in subsection

(e)

(1) , by striking ``purpose
of'' in the matter preceding subparagraph
(A) and all that
follows through the period at the end and inserting ``purpose
of advancing any of the purposes described in subsection

(b)

(2) .''; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(6) in subsection

(g) --</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) in paragraph

(2) --</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) by striking ``at least equal
to'' and inserting ``not less than 20 percent
of'';</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) by striking ``The Secretary''
and inserting the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph
(B) , the Secretary''; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iii) by adding at the end the
following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(B) Waiver.--The Secretary may waive the
requirement under subparagraph
(A) at the discretion of
the Secretary.'';</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) in paragraph

(4) --</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) in subparagraph
(B) , by
striking ``fiscal years 2019 through 2023'' and
inserting ``fiscal years 2025 through
2031'';</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) by redesignating subparagraph
(C) as subparagraph
(D) ; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iii) by inserting after
subparagraph
(B) the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(C) Set-aside for partner participation
in planning and capacity.--Of the amounts made
available under subparagraphs
(A) and
(B) to carry out
this section for each fiscal year, the Secretary shall
use not less than 10 percent for non-Federal partner
technical assistance participation and capacity-
building efforts in developing or implementing a water
source management plan under subsection
(d) .'';
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) by adding at the end the
following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(5) In-kind contributions.--The Secretary may
include the value of forest restoration and watershed
improvement work implemented on adjacent land in the project
area in determining in-kind contributions to a project from
non-Federal partners under paragraph

(4)
(A) .''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

CORRECTIONS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a) of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of
2003 (16 U.S.C. 6543

(a) ) is amended--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) in paragraph

(3)
(A) , by inserting ``protection
and'' before ``restoration'';</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) in paragraph

(5) , by striking ``and'' at the
end;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) in paragraph

(6) , by striking the period at
the end and inserting ``; and''; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(4) by adding at the end the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(7) to ensure that management activities and
authorizations do not result in long-term degradation of
watershed health or lower the classification under paragraph

(1) of any watershed in a National Forest.''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

PROJECTS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

(25 U.S.C. 3115b) is amended--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) in the section heading, by striking
``management demonstration project'' and inserting ``protection
management activities and projects'';</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) by redesignating subsection

(b) as subsection
(c) ;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) in subsection

(a) --</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) by striking
``demonstration'';</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) by striking ``federally
recognized'';</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) by striking ``programs of'' and
inserting ``activities and projects under'';</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(D) by striking ``5304 et seq.'' and
inserting ``5301 et seq.''; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(E) by striking the subsection designation
and heading and all that follows through ``and the
Secretary'' and inserting the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(a)

Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 5131).</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(2) Tribal organization.--The term `Tribal
organization' has the meaning given the term in

the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25
U.S.C. 5304).</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(b) Activities and Projects.--The Secretary and the
Secretary of the Interior'';</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(4) in subsection
(c) (as so redesignated)--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph

(1) ,
by striking ``subsection

(a) '' and inserting
``subsection

(b) ''; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) in paragraph

(1) , by striking ``5304
et seq.'' and inserting ``5301 et seq.''; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(5) by adding at the end the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(d) Publication of Information.--The Secretary and the
Secretary of the Interior shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(1) not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this subsection, make available, in an easily
accessible format and location, on the website of the
Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior,
respectively, a list of the types of activities and projects
that Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations may enter into
contracts to perform under subsection

(b) ; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(2) update the list under paragraph

(1) as
necessary.''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>Subtitle C--Litigation Reform</DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a)

(42 U.S.C. 4336e).</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b) Limitations on Judicial Review.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) Limitations on injunctive relief.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) Temporary delay of covered agency
action.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in
the case of a claim arising under Federal law seeking
judicial review of a covered agency action, a court
shall not issue a preliminary injunction against such
covered agency action unless the court determines
that--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) subject to subparagraph
(C) ,
such preliminary injunction is in the public
interest;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) the balance of equities
favors the plaintiff;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iii) the plaintiff is likely to
succeed on the merits; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iv) the plaintiff is likely to
suffer irreparable injury in the absence of
preliminary relief.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) Permanent limit on agency action.--
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in the case
of a claim arising under Federal law seeking judicial
review of a covered agency action, a court shall not
issue a permanent injunction against such covered
agency action, or an order to otherwise permanently
limit such covered agency action, unless a court
determines that--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) subject to subparagraph
(C) ,
such permanent injunction or order is in the
public interest;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) the balance of equities
favors the plaintiff;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iii) the plaintiff has suffered
or will suffer irreparable injury;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iv) no adequate remedy is
available at law.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) Public interest determination.--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) In general.--In determining
under subparagraphs
(A) and
(B) whether a
preliminary or permanent injunction against, or
other order with respect to, a covered agency
action is in the public interest, the
considerations of the court shall include--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(I) the purpose for which
an agency is undertaking the fireshed
management project relating to such
covered agency action;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(II) the likelihood that
the fireshed management project will
achieve the stated purpose of the
fireshed management project;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(III) the short- and long-
term effects of proceeding with the
covered agency action, as compared to
delaying or limiting such covered
agency action, including the potential
for significant increases in wildfire
risk or severity and significant
threats to the health of the
ecosystem.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) Weight of public interest
factor.--In determining whether to issue any
injunction or order under subparagraph
(A) or
(B) , a court shall give significant, but not
necessarily dispositive, weight to its
consideration of whether such order is in the
public interest.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Remand.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) In general.--Notwithstanding any other
provision of law, in the case of a claim arising under
Federal law seeking judicial review of a covered agency
action, if the court remands the matter to the agency,
the court shall remand with instructions to carry out,
during the 180-day period beginning on the date of such
remand, such additional actions as may be necessary to
redress any cognizable harm giving rise to such
claim.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) Vacatur.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) In general.--In remanding a
matter to an agency under subparagraph
(A) , the
court shall remand with vacatur only if--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(I) the seriousness of any
deficiencies in the covered agency
action weigh in favor of vacatur;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(II) the court determines
that any disruptive consequences of
vacatur, including the short- and long-
term effects of vacating the covered
agency action or any part of such
covered agency action, do not outweigh
the justification for
vacatur.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) Considerations.--In making
the determination described in clause
(i)
(II) ,
the court shall consider whether vacatur would
cause--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(I) any significant
increases in wildfire risk or severity,
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(II) any significant
threats to the health of the
ecosystem.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) Effect of remand on agency.--In the
case of a covered agency action subject to remand
without vacatur, or with partial vacatur, pursuant to
this paragraph, the agency may--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) continue to carry out such
covered agency action, or such parts of the
covered agency action as are not vacated, to
the extent that doing so does not interfere
with any additional actions required pursuant
to subparagraph
(A) ; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) use any format, as
appropriate, to correct an agency document
(including a supplemental environmental
document, memorandum, or errata sheet),
provided that such format is appropriate to the
nature of the deficiency.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) Preservation of authority.--Nothing in this
section alters, limits, or displaces the authority of a court
to review a covered agency action under

(2) of title
5, United States Code.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(c) Limitations on Claims.--Notwithstanding any other
provision of law, a claim arising under Federal law seeking judicial
review of a covered agency action shall be barred unless--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) with respect to an agency document or the
application of a categorical exclusion noticed in the Federal
Register, such claim is filed not later than 150 days after the
date of publication of a notice in the Federal Register of
agency intent to carry out the fireshed management project
relating to such covered agency document or application, unless
a shorter period is specified in such Federal law; or</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) in the case of an agency document or the
application of a categorical exclusion not described in
paragraph

(1) , if such agency document or application is
otherwise published or noticed, such claim is filed not later
than 150 days after the date that is the earlier of--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) the date on which such agency document
or application is published; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) the date on which such agency document
or application is noticed.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a) Forest Service Plans.--

(d) (2) of the Forest
and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C.
1604
(d) (2) ) is amended to read as follows:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(2) No additional consultation required under
certain circumstances.--Notwithstanding any other provision of
law, the Secretary shall not be required to reinitiate
consultation under

(a)

(2) of the Endangered Species
Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1536

(a)

(2) ) or

50, Code of Federal Regulations (or a successor regulation), on
a land management plan approved, amended, or revised under this
section when--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(A) a new species is listed or critical
habitat is designated under the Endangered Species Act
of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); or</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(B) new information reveals effects of
the land management plan that may affect a species
listed or critical habitat designated under that Act in
a manner or to an extent not previously
considered.''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b) Bureau of Land Management Plans.--

Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712) is
amended by adding at the end the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(g) No Additional Consultation Required Under Certain
Circumstances.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the
Secretary shall not be required to reinitiate consultation under

(a)

(2) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C.
1536

(a)

(2) ) or

(or a successor regulation), on a land use plan approved, amended, or
revised under this section when--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(1) a new species is listed or critical habitat
is designated under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); or</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(2) new information reveals effects of the land
use plan that may affect a species listed or critical habitat
designated under that Act in a manner or to an extent not
previously considered.''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>Subtitle D--Prescribed Fire</DELETED>

<DELETED>

PRACTICES.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a) Definition of Prescribed Fire.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) In general.--In this section, the term
``prescribed fire'' means a fire deliberately ignited to burn
wildland fuels in a natural or modified state--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) under specified environmental
conditions that are intended to allow the fire--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) to be confined to a
predetermined area; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) to produce the fireline
intensity and rate of spread required to attain
planned resource management objectives;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) in accordance with applicable law
(including regulations).</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Exclusion.--In this section, the term
``prescribed fire'' does not include a fire that is ignited for
the primary purpose of pile burning.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b) Eligible Activities.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) In general.--The Secretary concerned may carry
out eligible activities described in paragraph

(2) for
hazardous fuels management with respect to land under the
jurisdiction of the Secretary concerned.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Description of activities.--The activities
referred to in paragraph

(1) are--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) with respect to prescribed fires on
Federal land, or on non-Federal land if the Secretary
concerned determines that such activities would benefit
resources on Federal land--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) entering into procurement
contracts or cooperative agreements for
prescribed fire activities;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) issuing grants from an
existing grant program to a State, Tribal
government, local government, prescribed fire
council, prescribed burn association, or
nonprofit organization for the implementation
of prescribed fires, including--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(I) carrying out necessary
environmental reviews;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(II) carrying out any site
preparation necessary for implementing
prescribed fires; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(III) conducting any
required pre-ignition cultural and
environmental surveys; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iii) conducting outreach to the
public, Indian Tribes and beneficiaries, and
adjacent landowners;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) implementing prescribed fires on non-
Federal land, if the Secretary concerned determines
that the prescribed fire would benefit Federal land,
including--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) carrying out necessary
environmental reviews;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) carrying out any site
preparation necessary for implementing
prescribed fires; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iii) conducting any required pre-
ignition cultural and environmental
surveys;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) providing training for prescribed fire
and basic smoke management practices to Federal
employees and cooperators;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(D) conducting post-prescribed fire
activities, such as monitoring for hazard trees or
reignitions and invasive species management;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(E) providing technical or financial
assistance to a State, Tribal government, local
government, prescribed fire council, prescribed burn
association, or nonprofit organization for the purpose
of providing training for prescribed fire or basic
smoke management practices, consistent with any
standards developed by the National Wildfire
Coordinating Group or State-prescribed fire
standards.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) Prioritization.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph
(B) , the Secretary concerned shall coordinate with the
other Secretary concerned, State and local government
agencies, Indian Tribes, and applicable nongovernmental
organizations to establish prioritization criteria for
carrying out the activities described in paragraph

(2) .</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) Requirement.--In establishing criteria
under subparagraph
(A) , the Secretary concerned shall
give priority to a project that is--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) implemented across a large
contiguous area;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) cross-boundary in
nature;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iii) located in an area that is--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(I) within or adjacent to
the wildland-urban interface and
identified as a priority area in a
statewide forest action plan, fireshed
assessment, or community wildfire
protection plan; or</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(II) identified as
important to the protection of a Tribal
trust resource or the reserved or
treaty rights of an Indian
Tribe;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iv) on land that is at high or
very high risk of experiencing a wildfire that
would be difficult to suppress;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(v) in an area that is designated
as critical habitat and in need of ecological
restoration or enhancement that can be achieved
with the aid of prescribed fire; or</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(vi) supportive of potential
operational delineations or strategic response
zones.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(c) Policies and Practices.--The Secretary concerned, in
coordination with State, local, and Tribal governments, shall develop a
prescribed fire operational strategy for each region of the National
Forest System or the Department of the Interior, as applicable, that
describes--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) the fire deficit, by region; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) staffing and funding needs to address the fire
deficit described in paragraph

(1) .</DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a) Competencies for Firefighters.--The Secretaries, in
coordination with the Fire Executive Council, shall task the National
Wildfire Coordinating Group with the duty to adjust training
requirements to obtain a certification to serve in a supervisory role
for a prescribed fire and any other positions determined to be
necessary by the Secretaries--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) in order to reduce the time required to obtain
such a certification; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) such that significant experience, gained
exclusively during a prescribed fire, is required to obtain
such a certification.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b) Enhancing Interoperability Between Federal and Non-
Federal Practitioners.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) Qualification databases and dispatch
systems.--The Secretaries shall establish, to the extent
practicable, a collaborative process to create mechanisms for
non-Federal fire practitioners to be included in prescribed
fire and wildfire resource ordering and reimbursement
processes.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Partnership agreements.--The Secretaries may--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) develop partnership agreements for
prescribed fire with all relevant State, Federal,
Tribal, university, and nongovernmental entities that
choose to be included in resource ordering and
reimbursement processes under paragraph

(1) ;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) create agreements and structures
necessary to include non-Federal and other
nontraditional partners in direct work with Federal
agencies to address prescribed fires; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) treat any prescribed fire practitioner
meeting the National Wildfire Coordinating Group
standards as eligible to be included in statewide
participating agreements.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a) Training Course.--The Secretaries, in coordination
with the Attorney General of the United States, shall develop a
voluntary training course for employees involved in any activity
carried out on Federal land that is directly related to a prescribed
fire in the course of executing a Federal action.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b) Requirement.--The training course developed under
subsection

(a) shall include a description of--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) liability protections afforded to the
employees described in that subsection when acting within the
scope of their employment;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) the limits on any liability protections under
paragraph

(1) ; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) any reimbursement available for qualified
employees for professional liability insurance under

note).</DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a) Smoke Management Agencies.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) === Policy ===
-The Secretaries shall ensure that
policies, training, and programs of the Secretaries are
consistent with this subsection--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) to facilitate greater use of
prescribed fire in a safe and responsible manner, with
appropriate monitoring to prevent prescribed fires from
exceeding containment; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) to address public health and safety,
including impacts from smoke from wildfires and
prescribed fires.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Coordination among federal, tribal, and state
air quality agencies and federal, tribal, and state land
management agencies.--To facilitate the use of prescribed fire
on Federal, State, Tribal, and private land, the Executive
Director, in cooperation with the Environmental Protection
Agency, Federal and State land management agencies, shall
coordinate with State, Tribal, and local air quality agencies
that regulate smoke under the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401 et
seq.)--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) to the maximum extent practicable, to
provide State, Tribal, and local air quality agencies
with guidance, data, imagery, or modeling to support
the development of exceptional event demonstrations in
accordance with sections 50.14 and 51.930 of title 40,
Code of Federal Regulations (or successor
regulations);</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) to develop archives and automated
tools to provide State, Tribal, and local air quality
agencies with the data, imagery, and modeling under
subparagraph
(A) ;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) to provide technical assistance, best
practices, or templates to States, Indian Tribes, and
local governments for the use of the State, Indian
Tribe, or local government in approving the use of
prescribed fire under a State, Tribal, or local
government smoke management program;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(D)
(i) to promote basic smoke management
practices and other best practices to protect the
public from wildfire smoke;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) to disseminate information about
basic smoke management practices;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iii) to educate landowners that use
prescribed fire about the importance of--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(I) using basic smoke management
practices; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(II) including basic smoke
management practices as a component of a
prescribed fire plan; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iv) to share with the public information,
in coordination with other public health agencies,
about measures that individuals can take to protect
themselves from wildfire smoke; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(E) to develop guidance and tools to
streamline the demonstration of a clear causal
relationship between prescribed fire smoke and a
related exceedance of a national ambient air quality
standard.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) Programs and research.--To address the public
health and safety risk of the expanded use of prescribed fire
under this subtitle, the Secretaries, in coordination with the
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the
Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
shall conduct research to improve or develop--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) wildfire smoke prediction
models;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) smoke impact display tools for the
public and decisionmakers;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) appropriate, cost-effective, and
consistent strategies to mitigate the impacts of smoke
from prescribed fire on nearby communities;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(D) consistent nationally and
scientifically supported messages regarding personal
protection equipment for the public; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(E) prescribed fire activity tracking and
emission inventory systems for planning and post-
treatment accountability.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b) Development of Landscape-Scale Federal Prescribed Fire
Plans.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) Inclusion of landscape-scale prescribed fire
plans.--The Secretary concerned, with respect to units of the
National Forest System and Bureau of Land Management districts
with existing prescribed fire programs--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) not later than 1 year after the date
of enactment of this Act, shall determine which of
those units or districts have landscape-scale
prescribed fire plans;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) not later than 2 years after the date
of enactment of this Act, shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) determine whether each plan
described in subparagraph
(A) requires
revision; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) establish a schedule for the
revision of each plan described in subparagraph
(A) that requires revision; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) may develop landscape-scale prescribed
fire plans for any units or districts that do not have
landscape-scale prescribed fire plans, as determined
appropriate by the Secretary concerned.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Environmental compliance.--In carrying out
paragraph

(1) , the Secretary concerned shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) comply with--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et
seq.);</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) the Endangered Species Act of
1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.);</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iii) division A of subtitle III
of title 54, United States Code; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iv) any other applicable laws;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) consider the site-specific
environmental consequences of the landscape-scale
prescribed fire decisions under this
subsection.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) Collaborative development.--In carrying out
paragraph

(1) , the Secretary concerned shall collaborate with
diverse actors from academia, the Forest Service and Bureau of
Land Management research and development offices,
nongovernmental organizations, cultural fire practitioners, and
other entities, as determined appropriate by the Secretary
concerned.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(4) Reports.--Not later than 1 year after the date
of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the
Secretary concerned shall submit to Congress a report
describing the progress of the Secretary concerned in carrying
out this subsection.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

FIRE.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a) Agreements and Contracts.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) Definition of eligible entity.--In this
subsection, the term ``eligible entity'' means a State, an
Indian Tribe, a unit of local government, a fire district, a
nongovernmental organization, and a private entity.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Authorization.--The Secretary and the
Secretary of the Interior may each enter into a cooperative
agreement or contract with an eligible entity, for a period of
not longer than 10 years, that authorizes the eligible entity--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) to coordinate, plan, or conduct a
prescribed fire on Federal land; or</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) to conduct a prescribed fire training
event.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) Subcontracts.--A State, Indian Tribe, county,
or eligible entity that enters into a cooperative agreement or
contract under paragraph

(1) may enter into a subcontract, in
accordance with applicable contracting procedures of the State,
Indian Tribe, county, or eligible entity--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) to conduct a prescribed fire on
Federal land; or</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) to conduct a prescribed fire training
event pursuant to that cooperative agreement or
contract.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(4) Applicable law.--A prescribed fire conducted
pursuant to this subsection shall be carried out on a project-
by-project basis under existing authorities of the applicable
Federal agency responsible for the management of the applicable
Federal land.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(5) Preservation of decision authority.--An
eligible entity may not carry out a project under this
subsection pursuant to a cooperative agreement or contract
without the prior written approval of each Secretary that
entered into the cooperative agreement or contract.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b) Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004 Amendments.--The
Tribal Forest Protection Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-278; 118 Stat.
868) is amended by adding at the end the following:</DELETED>

<DELETED>``

PROJECT.</DELETED>

<DELETED> ``

(a) In General.--The Secretary may enter into a contract
or agreement with an Indian Tribe under this Act that provides for
prescribed burns on Federal land pursuant to this section.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(b) Scope.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law,
a contract or agreement entered into under this section may--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(1) use a burn plan that, on approval by the
Secretary, allows multiple prescribed burns to be conducted in
accordance with the burn plan to eliminate the need for
individual burn plans for each prescribed burn and enable
forest managers to have the flexibility to conduct prescribed
burns when conditions allow; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(2) include terms that--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(A) authorize the Secretary to delegate
their authority to an Indian Tribe to plan, coordinate,
and execute prescribed burns on the behalf of the
Secretary within the scope of the burn plan including
applying the National Wildfire Coordinating Group
standards for prescribed fire planning and
implementation, to the extent authorized by Federal
law;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(B) any applicable Federal standard that
requires a certain number of personnel to be on-hand
during prescribed burns may be satisfied by regional
Federal, State, or Tribal resources and personnel;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(C) where appropriate, the Secretary
shall work with other Federal agencies and Tribal,
State, and local governments to coordinate and
communicate the shared objectives of the prescribed
burn and ensure activities comply with applicable law
and regulations.''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(c) Cooperative Funds and Deposits Act Amendments.--Public
Law 94-148 (commonly known as the ``Cooperative Funds and Deposits
Act'') is amended--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) in the first sentence of the first section (16
U.S.C. 565a-1), by inserting ``prescribed fire and prescribed
fire training events,'' after ``including fire protection,'';
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) in

``,

(Public Law 108-278; 118 Stat. 868) or

(a) of the
Fix Our Forests Act'' after ``authorized by

<DELETED>

FIRE.</DELETED>

<DELETED> The Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Forest
Service, shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) use all available resources to ensure
prescribed burns conducted by the Forest Service are
extinguished; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) update the prescribed burn policies of the
Forest Service to reflect the findings and recommendations
included in the report of the Forest Service entitled
``National Prescribed Fire Program Review'' and dated September
2022.</DELETED>

<DELETED>TITLE II--PROTECTING COMMUNITIES IN WILDLAND-URBAN
INTERFACE</DELETED>

<DELETED>Subtitle A--Community Wildfire Risk Reduction</DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a) Establishment.--Not later than 30 days after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall jointly establish an
interagency program, to be known as the ``Community Wildfire Risk
Reduction Program'' (referred to in this section as the ``Program''),
which shall consist of at least 1 representative from each of the
following:</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) The Office of Wildland Fire of the Department
of the Interior.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) The National Park Service.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) The Bureau of Land Management.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(4) The United States Fish and Wildlife
Service.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(5) The Bureau of Indian Affairs.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(6) The Forest Service.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(7) The Federal Emergency Management
Agency.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(8) The United States Fire
Administration.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(9) The National Institute of Standards and
Technology.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(10) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b)

(f) of the Infrastructure Investment
and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 6592

(f) ).</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) An emergency management performance
grant under

Management Reform Act of 2006 (6 U.S.C. 762).</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) A grant under

Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15
U.S.C. 2229).</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(D) A grant under

Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15
U.S.C. 2229a).</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(E) Financial or technical assistance or a
grant under

Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133, 5135, 5170c, 5172,
5187).</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Simplification of application.--In
establishing the portal and application under paragraph

(1) ,
the Secretaries and the Administrator shall seek to reduce the
complexity and length of the application process for the forms
of assistance described in paragraph

(1) .</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) Technical assistance.--The Secretaries shall
provide technical assistance to communities or persons seeking
to apply for financial assistance through the portal using the
application established under paragraph

(1) .</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(d) Duties.--In carrying out this section, the
representatives described in subsection

(a) shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) meet not less frequently than once per
year;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) ensure coordination, as appropriate, with
other Federal agencies not identified in that subsection;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) seek to gather feedback, as appropriate, from
States, Indian Tribes, local governments, academic or research
institutions, private entities, and such other entities as the
Secretaries determine to be appropriate, to improve the
function and operation of the Program.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(e) Coordination.--The Secretaries shall seek to ensure
that States and Indian Tribes are invited and represented in meetings
and other activities under this section.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(f) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall jointly submit to the
relevant committees of Congress a report that--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) describes and itemizes the total amount of
funding relating to community wildfire risk reduction that was
obligated during the 2 preceding fiscal years by the agencies
described in subsection

(a) ;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) describes the activities carried out under the
Program since the date of enactment of this Act;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) describes any feedback incorporated from non-
Federal stakeholders to improve the function and operation of
the Program; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(4) includes an evaluation of the Program in
achieving the purposes described in subsection

(b) .</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(g) Sunset.--The Program terminates on the date that is 7
years after the date of enactment of this Act.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

PROGRAM.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a) In General.--The Secretaries, acting jointly, shall
expand the Joint Fire Science Program to include a performance-driven
research and development program, to be known as the ``Community
Wildfire Defense Research Program'' (referred to in this section as the
``Program''), for the purpose of testing and advancing innovative
designs to establish or improve the wildfire resistance of structures
and communities.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b) Program Priorities.--In carrying out the Program, the
Secretaries shall evaluate opportunities to establish wildfire-
resistant structures and communities through--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) different affordable building materials,
including mass timber;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) home hardening, including policies to
incentivize and incorporate defensible space;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) subdivision design and other land-use planning
and design;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(4) landscape architecture; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(5) other wildfire-resistant designs, as
determined by the Secretary.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(c) Community Wildfire Defense Innovation Prize.--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) In general.--In carrying out the Program, the
Secretaries shall carry out a competition through which a
person may submit to the Secretaries innovative designs for the
establishment or improvement of an ignition-resistant structure
or fire-adapted community.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Prize.--Subject to the availability of
appropriations made in advance for that purpose, the
Secretaries may award a prize under the competition described
in paragraph

(1) , based on criteria established by the
Secretaries and in accordance with paragraph

(3) .</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) Scale.--In awarding a prize under paragraph

(2) , the Secretaries shall prioritize for an award designs with
the greatest potential to scale to existing
infrastructure.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(d) Collaboration and Nonduplication.--In carrying out the
Program, the Secretaries shall ensure collaboration and nonduplication
of activities with the Building Technologies Office of the Department
of Energy.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(e) Sunset.--The Program terminates on the date that is 7
years after the date of enactment of this Act.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED> Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this
Act, and not less frequently than once every 2 years thereafter, the
Secretaries, acting through the United States Fire Administration,
shall submit to the relevant committees of Congress an assessment of
the Community Wildfire Risk Reduction Program established under

(a) that--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) assesses the management, coordination,
implementation, and effectiveness of program
activities;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) suggests improvements for improving the
coordination and engagement of the program with States, Indian
Tribes, units of local government, and at-risk
communities;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) assesses trends and developments in science
and engineering relating to wildfire risk reduction in the
built environment, land use planning, and vegetation management
that could be used to improve the effectiveness or efficiency
of the program;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(4) provides recommendations to improve the
ability of the program to provide financial or technical
assistance to States, Indian Tribes, units of local government,
and at-risk communities;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(5) identifies opportunities to modify existing
requirements for Federal assistance or programs that support
community wildfire risk reduction to improve the delivery,
effectiveness, or availability of those assistance or programs;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(6) includes policy and program recommendations to
improve that program, as determined by the United States Fire
Administration.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

IMPROVEMENTS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

(f) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs
Act (16 U.S.C. 6592

(f) ) is amended--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) by striking paragraph

(1)
(B) , and inserting
the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(B) to carry out projects including--
</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(i) landscape and hazardous
fuels reduction treatments;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(ii) the retrofit, modification,
or maintenance of a structure to improve
resistance to fire;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(iii) creating defensible space
around structures to improve resistance to
fire;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(iv) hardening infrastructure,
including evacuation routes, to improve
resistance to fire;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(v) any other project described
in a community wildfire protection plan that is
not more than 10 years old; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(vi) deployment of wildfire
technologies determined to be successful under

Act.'';</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) in paragraph

(2) --</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) in subparagraph
(B) , by striking
``or'' at the end;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) in subparagraph
(C) , by striking the
period at the end and inserting ``; or''; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) by adding at the end the
following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(D) located in a fireshed management
area (as defined in

Act).''; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) in paragraph

(3) --</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) in subparagraph
(C)
(i) , by striking
``continental''; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) by adding at the end the
following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(D) Limitation on administrative
expenses.--Not more than 7 percent of funds obligated
under this section may be used for administrative
expenses incurred by the Secretary of Agriculture or an
at-risk community.''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

(16 U.S.C. 6511) is amended by striking paragraph

(1) and inserting the
following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(1) At-risk community.--The term `at-risk
community' means an area that is composed of--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(A) an interface community (as defined
in the notice entitled `Wildland Urban Interface
Communities Within the Vicinity of Federal Lands That
Are at High Risk From Wildfire' (66 Fed. Reg. 753
(January 4, 2001)) issued by the Secretary of
Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior in
accordance with title IV of the Department of the
Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001
(114 Stat. 1009));</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(B) a group of homes and other
structures with basic infrastructure and services (such
as utilities and collectively maintained transportation
routes) at risk from wildfire, as recognized in a
fireshed, State, Tribal, local, regional, territorial,
or national wildfire risk assessment; or</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(C) a group of homes and other
structures with basic infrastructure and services (such
as utilities and collectively maintained transportation
routes) located inside, or within 5 miles of, a
Wildfire Crisis Strategy landscape, as determined by
the Secretary of Agriculture.''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>Subtitle B--Vegetation Management, Reforestation, and Local
Fire Suppression</DELETED>

<DELETED>

OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE RELATING TO ELECTRIC
TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION FACILITY RIGHTS-OF-
WAY.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a) Hazard Trees Within 150 Feet of Electric Power Line.--

(a)

(1)
(B) of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of
1976 (43 U.S.C. 1772

(a)

(1)
(B) ) is amended--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) in the matter preceding clause
(i) , by
striking ``likely to--'' and inserting ``likely--'';</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) in clause
(i) , by inserting ``to'' after the
clause designation; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) in clause
(ii) , by striking ``come within 10''
and inserting ``to come within 150''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b) Consultation With Private Landowners.--

(c) (3)
(E) of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43
U.S.C. 1772
(c) (3)
(E) ) is amended--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) in clause
(i) , by striking ``and'' at the
end;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) in clause
(ii) , by striking the period and
inserting ``; and''; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) by adding at the end the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(iii) consulting with a private
landowner with respect to any hazard trees
identified for removal from land owned by the
private landowner.''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(c) Review and Approval Process.--

(c) (4)
(A) of
the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C.
1772
(c) (4)
(A) ) is amended by striking clause
(iv) and inserting the
following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(iv) ensures that--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(I) a plan submitted
without a modification under clause
(iii) shall be automatically approved
by the date that is 120 days after the
date of submission; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(II) for a plan
submitted with a modification under
clause
(iii) , if the plan is not
approved by the date that is 120 days
after the date of submission, the
Secretary concerned shall develop and
submit to the owner and operator a
letter describing--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(aa) a detailed
timeline (to conclude by the
date that is 165 days after the
date of submission of the plan)
for completing review of the
plan;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(bb) any
identified deficiencies in the
plan and specific opportunities
for the owner or operator to
address each deficiency;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(cc) any other
relevant information, as
determined by the Secretary
concerned.''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(d) Technical Corrections.--

Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1772) is amended--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) in the section heading, by striking
``managment'' and inserting ``management''; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) in subsection
(c) (4)
(A)
(ii) , by striking
``and'' at the end.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(e) Vegetation Management Plan Review.--Not later than 180
days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall
submit to the relevant committees of Congress a report describing, with
respect to vegetation management plans submitted under

the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1772)--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) the extent to which those vegetation
management plans under are reviewed and approved within the
120-day period required under subsection
(c) (4)
(A)
(iv) of that
section;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) for any vegetation management plan not
reviewed and approved by the applicable deadline described in
paragraph

(1) , the reason for any delay in review or approval;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) for any vegetation management plan submitted
for review and approval for which the Secretary concerned
requested a modification, the timeline for reviewing the
modification on resubmission.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1772) is amended--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) by redesignating subsections

(j) and

(k) as
subsections

(k) and
(l) , respectively; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) by inserting after subsection
(i) the
following:</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(j) Permits and Agreements With Owners and Operators of
Electric Transmission or Distribution Facilities.--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(1) In general.--In any special use permit or
easement on National Forest System land or land under the
jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management provided to the
owner or operator of an electric transmission or distribution
facility, the Secretary concerned may provide permission to cut
and remove trees or other vegetation from within the vicinity
of the electric transmission or distribution facility without
requiring a separate timber sale, if that cutting and removal
is consistent with--</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(A) the applicable plan;</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(B) the applicable land and resource
management plan or land use plan; and</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``
(C) other applicable environmental laws
(including regulations).</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(2) Use of proceeds.--A special use permit or
easement that includes permission for cutting and removal
described in paragraph

(1) shall include a requirement that, if
the owner or operator of the electric transmission or
distribution facility sells any portion of the material removed
under the permit or easement, the owner or operator shall
provide to the Secretary concerned any proceeds received from
the sale, less any transportation costs incurred in the
sale.</DELETED>
<DELETED> ``

(3) Effect.--Nothing in paragraph

(2) shall
require the sale of any material removed under a permit or
easement that includes permission for cutting and removal
described in paragraph

(1) .''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

TREES.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a)

Federal Regulations (or successor regulations), in
determining whether to use the categorical
exclusion.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) Project size limitation.--A project carried
out using the categorical exclusion developed under paragraph

(1) may not exceed 6,000 acres.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a) Establishment.--Not later than 1 year after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall jointly develop and
implement a strategy, to be known as the ``Seeds of Success strategy'',
to enhance the domestic supply chain of seeds.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b) Elements.--The strategy developed under subsection

(a) shall include a plan for each of the following:</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) Facilitating sustained interagency
coordination in, and a comprehensive approach to, native plant
materials development and restoration.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Promoting the re-seeding of native or fire-
resistant vegetation post-wildfire, particularly in the
wildland-urban interface.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) Creating and consolidating information
relating to native or fire-resistant vegetation and sharing
that information with Indian Tribes and State and local
governments.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(4) Building regional programs and partnerships to
promote the development of materials made from plants native to
the United States and restore those plants to their respective,
native habitats within the United States, giving priority to
the building of those programs and partnerships in regions of
the Bureau of Land Management where the partnerships and
programs do not exist on the date of enactment of this
Act.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(5) Expanding workforce and infrastructure
capacity to locally collect, process, and store seed as
necessary to implement revegetation and reforestation projects
on priority land (as defined in

(b)

(1) ).</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(6) Expanding the warehouse system of the Bureau
of Land Management, particularly the cold storage capacity of
the system.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(7) Shortening the timeline for the approval of
permits to collect seeds on public land managed by the Bureau
of Land Management.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(8) Coordinating with the other Federal agencies,
States, Indian Tribes, and private entities, as appropriate,
for the purpose of seed collection.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(c) Report.--The Secretaries shall submit to the relevant
committees of Congress the strategy developed under subsection

(a) .</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(d) Coordination.--In implementing the strategy developed
under subsection

(a) , the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the
Director of the Bureau of Land Management, shall coordinate with the
heads of other applicable Federal agencies, including the Department of
Defense, for the purpose of collecting seeds from land under the
jurisdiction under those Federal agencies.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

RESTORATION PROJECTS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a) Reforestation Reports Submitted to Additional
Committees.--

Act (16 U.S.C. 1601 note; Public Law 117-58) is amended, in the matter
preceding paragraph

(1) , by striking inserting ``, the Committee on
Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate, the Committee on Natural
Resources of the House of Representatives,'' after
``Senate''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b) Interior Reforestation Program.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) === Definitions. ===
-In this subsection:</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) Covered institution of higher
education.--The term ``covered institution of higher
education'' means a land-grant college or university,
including--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) an 1862 Institution (as
defined in

Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act
of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7601));</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) an 1890 Institution (as
defined in that section);</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iii) an institution that is
eligible to receive funding under Public Law
87-788 (commonly known as the ``McIntire-
Stennis Act of 1962''); and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iv) a 1994 Institution (as
defined in

Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7
U.S.C. 301 note; Public Law 103-
382)).</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) Natural regeneration; reforestation;
unplanned event.--The terms ``natural regeneration'',
``reforestation'', and ``unplanned event'' have the
meanings given those terms in

(e)

(4)
(A) of the
Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act
of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1601

(e)

(4)
(A) ).</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) Priority land.--The term ``priority
land'' means historically forested land under the
jurisdiction of the Secretary concerned that, due to an
unplanned event--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) requires reforestation to meet
the objectives described in an applicable land
use plan; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) is unlikely to experience
natural regeneration.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Program establishment.--Not later than 1 year
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the
Interior shall establish a program to implement reforestation
projects on priority land identified under paragraph

(4)
(A) , in
accordance with this section.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) Support.--In carrying out the program
established under paragraph

(2) , the Secretary may enter into--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) cooperative agreements in accordance
with processes established by the Secretary;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) contracts, including contracts entered
into pursuant to the Indian Self-Determination and
Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5301 et
seq.).</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(4) Annual identification of priority projects.--
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act,
and annually thereafter, the Secretary of the Interior shall--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) identify priority land within the
United States;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) establish a list of reforestation
projects on priority land for the upcoming year, which
may include activities to ensure adequate and
appropriate seed and seedling availability to further
the objectives of other priority projects;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) estimate the costs necessary to
implement the list established under subparagraph
(B) .</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(5) Consultation.--In carrying out the program
under this subsection, the Secretary shall consult or
coordinate with, as appropriate--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) applicable State and local
governments;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) applicable Indian Tribes;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) covered institutions of higher
education;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(D) Federal agencies that administer
Federal land that adjoins, or is adjacent to, land that
is the subject of a project identified under paragraph

(4)
(B) ; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(E) other stakeholders, at the discretion
of the Secretary.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(6) Annual report.--Not later than 1 year after
the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for
each of the following 6 years, the Secretary of the Interior
shall submit to the relevant committees of Congress, the
Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, and the Committee on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives a report that
includes the following, with respect to the period covered by
the report:</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) An accounting of all priority
land.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) A list of projects identified under
paragraph

(4)
(B) .</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) An accounting of any progress made on
projects identified in any previous report under this
paragraph.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(D) An accounting of each contract and
cooperative agreement established under the program
under this subsection.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(E) The amounts necessary to be
appropriated, in addition to amounts available from
other sources, to implement reforestation projects on
all priority land by not later than 10 years after the
date of submission of the report.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(7) Nonduplication.--In carrying out this section,
the Secretary of the Interior shall collaborate with the
Secretary and the Secretary of Defense to ensure the
nonduplication of activities carried out under

<DELETED>

SUPPORT.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a)

<DELETED>

(a) Establishment of Standard Operating Procedures.--Not
later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Secretaries shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) establish standard operating procedures
relating to payment timelines for fire suppression cost-share
agreements established under

1955 (42 U.S.C. 1856a) (commonly known as the ``Reciprocal Fire
Protection Act''); and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) with respect to each fire suppression cost-
share agreement in operation on that date--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) review the agreement; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) modify the agreement as necessary to
comply with the standard operating procedures
established under paragraph

(1) .</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b) Alignment of Agreements.--The standard operating
procedures under subsection

(a)

(1) shall include a requirement that
each fire suppression cost-share agreement shall be aligned with each
cooperative fire protection agreement applicable to the entity subject
to the fire suppression cost-share agreement.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(c) Payments.--With respect to payments made pursuant to a
fire suppression cost-share agreement, the standard operating
procedures under subsection

(a)

(1) shall require that the Federal
paying entity shall reimburse a local fire department or a State
wildland firefighter agency if that entity submits to the Federal
paying entity an invoice in accordance with applicable cost settlement
procedures.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(d) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
the Secretaries should carry out reciprocal fire suppression cost-share
agreement repayments to local fire suppression organizations and State
wildland firefighting agencies as soon as practicable, but not later
than 1 year, after the date on which the applicable fire suppression
occurs.</DELETED>

<DELETED>TITLE III--TRANSPARENCY, TECHNOLOGY, AND
PARTNERSHIPS</DELETED>

<DELETED>Subtitle A--Transparency and Technology</DELETED>

<DELETED>

CONSERVATION, HEALTH, AND ADVANCEMENTS IN
RESEARCH.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a)

15801)); and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(F) a partnership or consortium of 2 or
more entities described in subparagraphs
(A) through
(E) .</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) Eligible institution.--The term ``eligible
institution'' means a land-grant college or university,
including--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) an 1862 Institution (as defined in

Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C.
7601));</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) an 1890 Institution (as defined in
that section);</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) an institution that is eligible to
receive funding under Public Law 87-788 (commonly known
as the ``McIntire-Stennis Act of 1962''); and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(D) a 1994 Institution (as defined in

Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note; Public Law 103-
382)).</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(4) Feedstock.--The term ``feedstock'' means
excess biomass in the form of plant matter or materials that
serves as the raw material for the production of
biochar.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(5) Secretaries.--The term ``Secretaries'' means--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) the Secretary, acting through the
Chief of the Forest Service;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) the Secretary of the Interior, acting
through the Director of the Bureau of Land Management;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) the Secretary of Energy, acting
through the Director of the Office of
Science.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b) Demonstration Projects.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) Establishment.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) In general.--Subject to the
availability of appropriations made in advance for that
purpose, not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall establish
a program under which the Secretaries shall enter into
partnerships with eligible entities to carry out
demonstration projects to support the development and
commercialization of biochar in accordance with this
subsection.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) Location.--In carrying out the program
established under subparagraph
(A) , the Secretaries
shall, to the maximum extent practicable, enter into
partnerships with eligible entities in a manner that
ensures that--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) at least 1 demonstration
project is carried out in each region of the
Forest Service; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) at least 1 demonstration
project is carried out in each region of the
Bureau of Land Management.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Proposals.--To be eligible to enter into a
partnership under paragraph

(1)
(A) , an eligible entity shall
submit to the Secretaries a proposal at such time, in such
manner, and containing such information as the Secretaries may
require.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) Priority.--In selecting proposals under
paragraph

(2) , the Secretaries shall give priority to entering
into partnerships with eligible entities that submit proposals
to carry out biochar demonstration projects that--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) have the most potential to improve
forest health and resiliency;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) have the most potential to create new
jobs and contribute to local economies, particularly in
rural areas;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) have the most potential to
demonstrate--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) new and innovative uses of
biochar;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) market viability for cost-
effective biochar-based products;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iii) the restorative benefits of
biochar with respect to forest health and
resiliency, including forest soils and
watersheds; or</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iv) any combination of the
purposes described in clauses
(i) through
(iii) ;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(D) are located in areas that have a high
need for biochar production, as determined by the
Secretaries, due to--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) nearby land identified as
having high, very high, or extreme risk of
wildfire;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) availability of sufficient
quantities of feedstocks; or</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iii) a high level of demand for
biochar or other commercial byproducts of
biochar; or</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(E) satisfy any combination of the
purposes described in subparagraphs
(A) through
(D) .</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(4) Use of funds.--In carrying out the program
established under paragraph

(1)
(A) , the Secretaries may enter
into partnerships and provide funding to the partnerships to
carry out demonstration projects--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) to acquire and test various feedstocks
and the efficacy of those feedstocks;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) to develop and optimize commercially
and technologically viable biochar production units,
including mobile and permanent units;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) to demonstrate--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) the production of biochar from
forest residue; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) the use of biochar to restore
forest health and resiliency;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(D) to build, expand, or establish biochar
facilities;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(E) to conduct research relating to new
and innovative uses of biochar;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(F) to demonstrate cost-effective market
opportunities for biochar and biochar-based
products;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(G) to carry out any other activities the
Secretaries determine to be appropriate; or</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(H) to achieve any combination of the
purposes described in subparagraphs
(A) through
(G) .</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(5) Feedstock requirements.--To the maximum extent
practicable, an eligible entity that carries out a biochar
demonstration project under this subsection shall derive not
less than 50 percent of the feedstock used under the project
from forest thinning and management activities, including mill
residues, conducted on National Forest System land or public
land.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(6) Review.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) In general.--The Secretaries shall
conduct regionally specific research, including
economic analyses and lifecycle assessments, relating
to any biochar produced from a demonstration project
carried out under the program established under
paragraph

(1)
(A) , including--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) the effects of that biochar
on--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(I) forest health and
resiliency;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(II) carbon capture and
sequestration, including increasing
soil carbon in the short-term and long-
term;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(III) productivity,
reduced input costs, and water
retention in agricultural
practices;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(IV) the health of soil
and grasslands used for grazing
activities, including grazing
activities on National Forest System
land and public land; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(V) environmental
remediation activities, including
abandoned mine land
remediation;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) the effectiveness of biochar
as a coproduct of biofuels or in biochemicals;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iii) the effectiveness of other
potential uses of biochar to determine if any
such use is technologically and commercially
viable.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) Coordination.--The Secretaries, to the
maximum extent practicable, shall provide data,
analyses, and other relevant information collected
under subparagraph
(A) to recipients of grants under
subsection
(c) .</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(7) Limitation on funding for establishing biochar
facilities.--The amount provided by the Secretaries under this
subsection to an eligible entity for establishing a biochar
facility may not exceed 35 percent of the total capital cost of
establishing that facility.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(c) Biochar Research and Development Grant Program.--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) Establishment.--The Secretary of the Interior,
in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, shall establish,
or expand an existing, applied biochar research and development
grant program to provide to eligible institutions grants, on a
competitive basis, to carry out the activities described in
paragraph

(3) .</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Applications.--To be eligible to receive a
grant under this subsection, an eligible institution shall
submit to the Secretary of the Interior a proposal at such
time, in such manner, and containing such information as the
Secretary of the Interior may require.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) Use of funds.--An eligible institution that
receives a grant under this subsection shall use the grant
funds to conduct applied research relating to--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) the effect of biochar on forest health
and resiliency, taking into account variations in
biochar, soil, climate, and other factors;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) the effect of biochar on soil health
and water retention, taking into account variations in
biochar, soil, climate, and other factors;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) the long-term carbon sequestration
potential of biochar;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(D) best management practices with respect
to biochar and biochar-based products that maximize--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) carbon sequestration benefits;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) the commercial viability and
application of those products in forestry,
agriculture, environmental remediation, water
quality improvement, and any other similar
uses, as determined by the Secretary of the
Interior;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(E) the regional uses of biochar to
increase productivity and profitability, including--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) uses in agriculture and
environmental remediation; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) use as a coproduct in fuel
production;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(F) new and innovative uses for biochar
byproducts; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(G) opportunities to expand markets for
biochar and create related jobs, particularly in rural
areas.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(d) Reports.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) Report to congress.--Not later than 2 years
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall
submit to Congress a report that--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) includes policy and program
recommendations to improve the widespread use of
biochar;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) identifies any area of research needed
to advance biochar commercialization; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) identifies barriers to advancing
biochar commercialization, including permitting and
siting considerations.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Materials submitted in support of president's
budget.--Beginning with the second fiscal year that begins
after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually
thereafter until the date described in subsection

(e) , the
Secretaries shall include in the materials submitted to
Congress in support of the President's budget pursuant to

describing, for the fiscal year covered by the report, the
status of--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) each demonstration project carried out
under subsection

(b) ; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) each research and development grant
provided under subsection
(c) .</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(e) Sunset.--The authority to carry out this section
terminates on the date that is 7 years after the date of enactment of
this Act.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

REPORTS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a)

States Code, a report describing the number of acres of Federal
land on which the Secretary concerned carried out hazardous
fuels reduction activities during the preceding fiscal year, as
determined using--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) the methodology of the Secretary
concerned in effect on the day before the date of
enactment of this Act; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) the methodology described in paragraph

(2) .</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Requirements.--For purposes of a report
required under paragraph

(1) , the Secretary concerned shall--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) in determining the number of acres of
Federal land on which the Secretary concerned carried
out hazardous fuels reduction activities during the
period covered by the report--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) record acres of Federal land
on which hazardous fuels reduction activities
were completed during that period;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) record each acre described in
clause
(i) once in the report, regardless of
whether multiple hazardous fuels reduction
activities were carried out on that acre during
the applicable period; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) with respect to the acres of Federal
land recorded in the report, include information
relating to--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) which acres are located in the
wildland-urban interface;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) the level of wildfire risk
(high, moderate, or low) of the acres on the
first and last day of the period covered by the
report;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iii) the types of hazardous fuels
reduction activities completed with respect to
the acres, including a description of whether
those hazardous fuels reduction activities were
conducted--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(I) in a wildfire managed
for resource benefits; or</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(II) through a planned
hazardous fuels reduction
project;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(iv) the cost per-acre of the
hazardous fuels reduction activities carried
out during the period covered by the
report;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(v) the region or System unit in
which the acres are located; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(vi) the effectiveness of the
hazardous fuels reduction activities with
respect to reducing the risk of
wildfire.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) Transparency.--The Secretary concerned shall
make each report submitted under paragraph

(1) publicly
available on the website of the Department of Agriculture or
the Department of the Interior, as applicable.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(c) Accurate Data Collection.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary concerned shall
implement standardized procedures for tracking data relating to
hazardous fuels reduction activities carried out by the
Secretary concerned.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Elements.--The standardized procedures
required under paragraph

(1) shall include--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) regular, standardized data reviews of
the accuracy and timely input of data used to track
hazardous fuels reduction activities;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) verification methods that validate
whether those data accurately correlate to the
hazardous fuels reduction activities carried out by the
Secretary concerned;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) an analysis of the short- and long-
term effectiveness of the hazardous fuels reduction
activities on reducing the risk of wildfire;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(D) for hazardous fuels reduction
activities that occur partially within the wildland-
urban interface, methods to distinguish which acres are
located within the wildland-urban interface and which
acres are located outside the wildland-urban
interface.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) Report.--Not later than 14 days after
implementing the standardized procedures required under
paragraph

(1) , the Secretary concerned shall submit to Congress
a report that describes--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) the standardized procedures;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) any programmatic or policy
recommendations to Congress to address limitations in
tracking data relating to hazardous fuels reduction
activities under this subsection.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(d) GAO Study.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States
shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) conduct a study regarding the implementation
of this section, including any limitations with respect to--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) reporting hazardous fuels reduction
activities under subsection

(b) ; or</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) tracking data relating to hazardous
fuels reduction activities under subsection
(c) ;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) submit to Congress a report that describes the
results of the study under paragraph

(1) .</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(e) No Additional Funds Authorized.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) In general.--No additional funds are
authorized to carry out this section.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Subject to appropriations.--The activities
authorized by this section are subject to the availability of
appropriations made in advance for those purposes.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

DEMONSTRATION PARTNERSHIP.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a)

Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6801));</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) the Department of Defense;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) the Bureau of Indian
Affairs;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(D) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(E) the Federal Emergency Management
Agency;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(F) the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(G) the United States Fire
Administration;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(H) a State, Tribal, county, or municipal
fire department or district operating through the
United States Fire Administration or pursuant to an
agreement with a Federal agency; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(I) any other Federal agency involved in
wildfire response.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Covered entity.--The term ``covered entity''
means--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) a private entity;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) a nonprofit organization;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) an institution of higher education (as
defined in

1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)).</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) Pilot program.--The term ``Pilot Program''
means the deployment and demonstration pilot program
established under subsection

(b) .</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(4) Secretaries.--The term ``Secretaries'' means
the Secretary and the Secretary of the Interior, acting
jointly.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b) Establishment.--Not later than 1 year after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries, in coordination with the
heads of the covered agencies, shall establish a deployment and
demonstration pilot program for new and innovative wildfire prevention,
detection, communication, and mitigation technologies.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(c) Functions.--In carrying out the Pilot Program, the
Secretaries shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) incorporate the Pilot Program into the
National Wildfire Coordinating Group;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) in consultation with the heads of the covered
agencies, identify and advance the demonstration and deployment
of key technology priority areas with respect to the deployment
of wildfire prevention, detection, communication, and
mitigation technologies, including--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) hazardous fuels reduction activities
or treatments;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) dispatch communications;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) remote sensing, detection, and
tracking;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(D) safety equipment;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(E) common operating pictures or
operational dashboards; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(F) interoperable commercial data;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) connect each covered entity selected to
participate in the Pilot Program with the appropriate covered
agency to coordinate real-time and on-the-ground testing of
technology during wildfire mitigation activities and
training.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(d) Applications.--To be eligible to participate in the
Pilot Program, a covered entity shall submit to the Secretaries an
application at such time, in such manner, and containing such
information as the Secretaries may require, including a proposal to
demonstrate technologies specific to key technology priority areas
identified under subsection
(c) (2) .</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(e) Prioritization of Emerging Technologies.--In selecting
covered entities to participate in the Pilot Program, the Secretaries
shall give priority to covered entities that--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) have participated in the Fire Weather Testbed
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;
or</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) propose in the application under subsection
(d) to develop and apply emerging technologies for wildfire
mitigation, including artificial intelligence, quantum sensing,
computing and quantum-hybrid applications, satellite detection,
augmented reality, 5G private networks, and device-to-device
communications supporting nomadic mesh networks and
detection.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(f) Outreach.--The Secretaries, in coordination with the
heads of the covered agencies, shall make publicly available the key
technology priority areas identified under subsection
(c) (2) and invite
covered entities to apply under subsection
(d) to deploy and
demonstrate technologies to address those priority areas.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(g) Reports and Recommendations.--Not later than 1 year
after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for
the duration of the Pilot Program, the Secretaries shall submit to the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, the
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of
Representatives, and the relevant committees of Congress a report that
includes the following with respect to the Pilot Program:</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) A list of participating covered
entities.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) A brief description of the technologies
deployed and demonstrated by each such covered
entity.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) An estimate of the cost of acquiring the each
such technology and applying the technology at scale.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(4) Outreach efforts by covered agencies to
covered entities developing wildfire technologies.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(5) Assessments of, and recommendations relating
to, new technologies with potential adoption and application
at-scale in the wildfire prevention, detection, communication,
and mitigation efforts of Federal land management agencies (as
defined in

Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6801)).</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(6) A description of the relationship and
coordination between the Pilot Program and the activities of
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, including
the Fire Weather Testbed.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(h) Sunset.--The Pilot Program terminates on the date that
is 7 years after the date of enactment of this Act.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED> Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this
Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) conduct a study evaluating--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) the effectiveness of Forest Service
wildland firefighting operations;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) transparency and accountability
measures in the budget and accounting process of the
Forest Service; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) the suitability and feasibility of
establishing a new Federal agency with responsibility
for responding to, and suppressing, wildfires on
Federal land; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) submit to Congress a report that describes the
results of the study under paragraph

(1) .</DELETED>

<DELETED>

MONITORED.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a) In General.--The Secretary shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) to the maximum extent practicable and subject
to the availability of appropriations--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) ensure that each forest plan for a
unit of the National Forest System is in compliance
with the applicable requirements of

(f)

(5)
(A) of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources
Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1604

(f)

(5)
(A) );
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) prioritize revising any forest plan
not in compliance with that section;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) not be considered to be in violation of

(f)

(5)
(A) of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable
Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1604

(f)

(5)
(A) ) solely
because more than 15 years have passed without revision of the
plan for a unit of the National Forest System;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) not later than 120 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, submit to the relevant committees of
Congress a notice describing the date on which each forest plan
referred to in paragraph

(1)
(A) was most recently revised,
amended, or modified;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(4) seek to publish a new, complete version of any
forest plan that the Secretary has been directed by court order
to amend, revise, or modify by not later than 60 days after the
date of the amendment, revision, or modification, subject to
the availability of appropriations made in advance for that
purpose; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(5) maintain a central, publicly accessible
website with links to--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) the most recently available forest
plan adopted, amended, or modified by a court order as
a single document; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) the most recently published forest
plan monitoring report for the unit.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b) Good Faith Updates.--If the Secretary fails to act
expeditiously and in good faith using available funding to revise,
amend, or modify a plan for a unit of the National Forest System as
required by an applicable law or court order--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) subsection

(a) shall be void with respect to
the plan; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) a court of competent jurisdiction may order
completion of the plan on an accelerated basis.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(c) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the relevant
committees of Congress a report summarizing the implementation of this
section.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(d) Sunset.--The authority under this section terminates
on September 30, 2031.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a) Evaluation.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary and the Secretary of the Interior,
in consultation with the National Interagency Aviation Committee and
the Interagency Airtanker Board, shall jointly conduct an evaluation of
the container aerial firefighting system to assess the use of that
system to mitigate and suppress wildfires.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b) Report.--Not later than 120 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary and the Secretary of the Interior,
in consultation with the National Interagency Aviation Committee and
the Interagency Airtanker Board, shall jointly submit to the relevant
committees of Congress a report that describes the results of the
evaluation under subsection

(a) .</DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED> Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this
Act, the Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service,
shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) carry out a study relating to the causes and
effects of, and solutions for, the infestation of pine beetles
in the Northeastern region of the United States; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) submit to the relevant committees of Congress
a report that describes the results of the study under
paragraph

(1) .</DELETED>

<DELETED>Subtitle B--White Oak Resilience</DELETED>

<DELETED>

COALITION.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a) In General.--There is established a coalition, to be
known as the ``White Oak Restoration Initiative Coalition'' (referred
to in this section as the ``Coalition'')--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) as a voluntary collaborative group of Federal,
State, Tribal, and local governments and private and
nongovernmental organizations the purpose of which is to carry
out the duties described in subsection

(b) ; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) in accordance with the charter entitled
``White Oak Initiative Coalition Charter'' adopted by the White
Oak Initiative Board of Directors on March 21, 2023 (or a
successor charter).</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b) Duties.--In addition to the duties specified in the
charter referred to in subsection

(a)

(2) , the duties of the Coalition
are--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) to coordinate Federal, State, Tribal, local,
private, and nongovernmental activities for the restoration of
white oak trees in the United States; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) to make program and policy recommendations,
consistent with applicable forest management plans, with
respect to--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) changes necessary to address Federal
and State policies that impede activities to improve
the health, resiliency, and natural regeneration of
white oak trees;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) adopting or modifying Federal and
State policies to increase the pace and scale of white
oak regeneration and the resiliency of white oak
trees;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) options to enhance communication,
coordination, and collaboration among forest land
owners, particularly with respect to cross-boundary
projects, to improve the health, resiliency, and
natural regeneration of white oak trees;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(D) research gaps that should be addressed
to improve the best available science on white
oaks;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(E) outreach to forest landowners the land
of which possesses white oak trees or white oak
regeneration potential, as determined by the Coalition;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(F) options and policies necessary to
improve the quality and quantity of white oak trees in
tree nurseries.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(c) Administrative, Staffing, and Technical Support.--The
Secretary and the Secretary of the Interior shall make available to the
Coalition such personnel for administrative support, technical
services, and the development and dissemination of educational
materials as those Secretaries determine to be necessary to carry out
this section.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(d) Private Funding.--Subject to the availability of
appropriations made in advance for that purpose, the Secretary may make
funds available to the Coalition to carry out this section from the
account established pursuant to

(f) of the Food Security
Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841

(f) ).</DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Chief
of the Forest Service, shall establish and carry out 5 pilot projects
in units of the National Forest System to restore white oak trees in
those units through white oak restoration and natural regeneration
practices that are consistent with applicable forest management
plans.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b) Requirement.--Of the pilot projects carried out under
subsection

(a) , not fewer than 3 shall be carried out on units of the
National Forest System that are reserved or withdrawn from the public
domain.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(c) Cooperative Agreements.--The Secretary may enter into
cooperative agreements to carry out the pilot projects under this
section.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(d) Sunset.--The authority under this section terminates
on the date that is 7 years after the date of enactment of this
Act.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

RESTORATION.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a) Assessment.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) In general.--The Secretary of the Interior
shall carry out an assessment of land under the administrative
jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior, including fish
and wildlife refuges and abandoned mine land, to evaluate--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) whether white oak trees are present on
the land; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) the potential to restore white oak
forests on the land.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Use of information.--In carrying out the
assessment under paragraph

(1) , the Secretary of the Interior
may use information from sources other than the Department of
the Interior, including the White Oak Initiative and the Forest
Service.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall
submit to Congress, and make publicly available on the website
of the Department of the Interior, a report describing the
results of the assessment carried out under this
subsection.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b) Pilot Projects.--After the date of submission of the
report under subsection

(a)

(3) , the Secretary of the Interior shall
establish and carry out 5 pilot projects in different areas of land
described in subsection

(a)

(1) to restore and naturally regenerate
white oak trees.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(c) Cooperative Agreements.--The Secretary of the Interior
may enter into cooperative agreements to carry out the pilot projects
under subsection

(b) .</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(d) Sunset.--The authority under this section terminates
on the date that is 7 years after the date of enactment of this
Act.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

HABITAT.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish a nonregulatory
program, to be known as the ``White Oak and Upland Oak Habitat
Regeneration Program'' (referred to in this section as the
``Program'').</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b)

(a) to prioritize white oak restoration initiatives;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) adopt a white oak restoration strategy that--
</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) supports the implementation of a
shared set of science-based restoration and
conservation activities developed in accordance with
paragraph

(1) ;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) targets cost-effective projects with
measurable results; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) maximizes restoration outcomes with no
net gain of Federal full-time equivalent employees;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(4) establish voluntary grant and technical
assistance programs in accordance with subsection

(e) .</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(e) Grants and Assistance.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) === Definitions. ===
-In this subsection:</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) Foundation.--The term ``Foundation''
means the National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) Grant program.--The term ``grant
program'' means the voluntary grant and technical
assistance program established under paragraph

(2) .</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) Establishment.--To the extent that funds are
available to carry out this section, the Secretary shall
establish a voluntary grant and technical assistance program to
achieve the purposes of the Program described in subsection

(b) .</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) Administration.--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) In general.--The Secretary shall offer
to enter into a cooperative agreement with the
Foundation to manage and administer the grant
program.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) Funding.--Subject to the availability
of appropriations made in advance for that purpose, on
entering into a cooperative agreement with the
Foundation under subparagraph
(A) , the Secretary shall
pay to the Foundation to carry out this subsection for
each fiscal year an advance payment of the entire
amount for the applicable fiscal year--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(i) on October 1 of that fiscal
year; or</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(ii) as soon as practicable
thereafter.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(4) Application of national fish and wildlife
foundation establishment act.--Amounts received by the
Foundation to carry out the grant program shall be subject to
the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act (16
U.S.C. 3701 et seq.), excluding

(a) of that Act (16
U.S.C. 3709

(a) ).</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(f) Sunset.--The authority under this section terminates
on the date that is 7 years after the date of enactment of this
Act.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary, acting through the Chief of the
Forest Service, shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) develop and implement a national strategy to
increase the capacity of Federal, State, Tribal, and private
tree nurseries to address the nationwide shortage of tree
seedlings; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) coordinate the strategy under paragraph

(1) with--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) the national reforestation strategy of
the Forest Service; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) each regional implementation plan for
National Forests.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b) Elements.--The strategy required under subsection

(a) shall--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) be based on the best available science and
data; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) identify and address--</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(A) regional seedling shortages of
bareroot and container tree seedlings;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(B) regional reforestation opportunities
and the seedling supply necessary to fulfill those
opportunities;</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(C) opportunities to enhance seedling
diversity and close gaps in seed inventories;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(D) barriers to expanding, enhancing, or
creating new infrastructure to increase nursery
capacity.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a) Definition of Eligible Institution.--In this section,
the term ``eligible institution'' means an institution of higher
education, including an 1862 Institution, an 1890 Institution, and a
1994 Institution (as those terms are defined in

Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7
U.S.C. 7601)).</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b) Research.--The Secretary may enter into a memorandum
of understanding with an Indian Tribe or an eligible institution to
collaboratively conduct research relating to--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) white oak genes with resistance or tolerance
to stress;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) white oak trees that exhibit vigor for the
purpose of increasing survival and growth;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) establishing a genetically diverse white oak
seed bank capable of responding to stressors;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(4) providing a sustainable supply of white oak
seedlings and genetic resources;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(5) improved methods for aligning seed sources
with the future climate at planting sites;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(6) reforestation of white oak trees through
natural and artificial regeneration;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(7) improved methods for retaining and increasing
white oak trees in forests;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(8) improved methods for reforesting abandoned
mine land sites; and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(9) economic and social aspects of white oak
forest management across land ownerships.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(c) Consultation.--In carrying out research under
subsection

(b) , an Indian Tribe or eligible institution may consult
with such States, nonprofit organizations, and other institutions of
higher education and scientific entities as the Indian Tribe or
eligible institution determines to be appropriate.</DELETED>
<DELETED>
(d) Sunset.--The authority under this section terminates
on the date that is 7 years after the date of enactment of this
Act.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Chief
of the Natural Resources Conservation Service and in coordination with
the Chief of the Forest Service, shall establish a formal initiative on
white oak trees--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) to reestablish white oak forests where
appropriate;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) to improve the management of existing white
oak forests to foster natural regeneration of white oak
trees;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(3) to provide technical assistance to private
landowners to reestablish, improve the management of, and
naturally regenerate white oak trees;</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(4) to improve and expand white oak nursery stock;
and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(5) to adapt and improve white oak
seedlings.</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(b) Sunset.--The authority under this section terminates
on the date that is 7 years after the date of enactment of this
Act.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

<DELETED> To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary and the
Secretary of the Interior shall use the authorities provided under this
title in combination with other authorities to carry out projects,
including--</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(1) good neighbor agreements entered into under

(as amended by this Act); and</DELETED>
<DELETED>

(2) stewardship contracting projects entered into
under

2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591c) (as amended by this Act).</DELETED>

<DELETED>TITLE IV--ENSURING CASUALTY ASSISTANCE FOR
FIREFIGHTERS</DELETED>

<DELETED>

PROGRAM.</DELETED>

<DELETED>

(a)

(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Fix Our Forests
Act''.

(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as
follows:

TITLE I--LANDSCAPE-SCALE RESTORATION

Subtitle A--Addressing Emergency Wildfire Risks in High-priority
Firesheds

wildfire risk to communities and wildlife
habitat.

Subtitle B--Expanding Collaborative Tools to Reduce Wildfire Risk and
Improve Forest Health

under good neighbor agreements.

ecosystem restoration activities.

Fire.

hazardous fuel reduction projects.

Subtitle C--Litigation Reform

Subtitle D--Prescribed Fire

TITLE II--PROTECTING COMMUNITIES AT RISK

Subtitle A--Community Wildfire Risk Reduction

Subtitle B--Vegetation Management, Reforestation, and Local Fire Risk
Mitigation

maintenance relating to electric
transmission and distribution facility
rights-of-way.

projects.

TITLE III--TRANSPARENCY, TECHNOLOGY, AND PARTNERSHIPS

Subtitle A--Transparency and Technology

health, and advancements in research.

demonstration partnership.

Subtitle B--White Oak Resilience

TITLE IV--ENSURING CASUALTY ASSISTANCE FOR FIREFIGHTERS

TITLE V--OTHER MATTERS

and system.

In this Act:

(1) End water user.--The term ``end water user'' has the
meaning given the term in

(a) of the Healthy Forests
Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6542

(a) ).

(2) Executive director.--The term ``Executive Director''
means the Executive Director of the Wildland Fire Intelligence
Center appointed under

(g) .

(3) Fireshed.--The term ``fireshed'' means a landscape-
scale area, as delineated using methods developed through
research conducted by the Forest Service, that represents
similar source levels of community exposure to wildfire.

(4) Fireshed management area.--The term ``fireshed
management area'' means a fireshed management area designated
under

(a) .

(5) Fireshed management project.--The term ``fireshed
management project'' means any of the following forest or
vegetation management activities:
(A) A hazardous fuels management activity.
(B) Creating a fuel break or fire break.
(C) Removing hazard trees, dead trees, or dying
trees, as determined by a certified or licensed
arborist or forester under the supervision of the
Secretary concerned.
(D) Developing, approving, or conducting routine
maintenance under--
(i) a vegetation management, facility
inspection, and operation and maintenance plan
under subsection
(c) of

Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976
(43 U.S.C. 1772); or
(ii) an agreement under subsection
(d) (1) of that section (43 U.S.C. 1772).
(E) Removing trees to address overstocking or
crowding in a forest stand, consistent with achieving
the appropriate basal area of the forest stand, as
determined by a responsible official.
(F) Using treatments to address insects or disease
or to control vegetation competition or invasive
species.
(G) A wet-meadow, floodplain, or riparian
restoration activity that increases wildfire
resistance.
(H) A forest stand improvement activity necessary
to protect life and property from catastrophic
wildfire, as determined by a responsible official.
(I) Any combination of activities described in this
paragraph.

(6) Fireshed registry.--The term ``Fireshed Registry''
means the registry established under

(a) .

(7) Forest plan.--The term ``forest plan'' means--
(A) a land use plan prepared by the Bureau of Land
Management for public land pursuant to

the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43
U.S.C. 1712);
(B) a land management plan prepared by the Forest
Service for a unit of the National Forest System
pursuant to

Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C.
1604); and
(C) a forest management plan (as defined in

Act (25 U.S.C. 3103)) with respect to Indian forest
land or rangeland.

(8) Governor.--The term ``Governor'' means the Governor or
other appropriate executive official of--
(A) a State; or
(B) an Indian Tribe.

(9) Hazardous fuels management activity.--The term
``hazardous fuels management activity'' means a vegetation
management activity, or any combination of such activities,
that reduces the risk of wildfire, including mechanical
thinning, mastication, prescribed burning, cultural burning (as
determined by an Indian Tribe), timber harvest, and grazing.

(10) HFRA terms.--The terms ``at-risk community'',
``community wildfire protection plan'', and ``wildland-urban
interface'' have the meanings given those terms in

of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C.
6511).

(11) Indian forest land or rangeland.--The term ``Indian
forest land or rangeland'' means land that--
(A) is held in trust, or subject to a restriction
against alienation, by the United States for an Indian
Tribe or a member of an Indian Tribe; and
(B)
(i) is Indian forest land (as defined in

Act (25 U.S.C. 3103)); or
(ii)
(I) has a cover of grasses, brush, or any
similar vegetation; or
(II) formerly had a forest cover or vegetative
cover that is capable of restoration.

(12) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian Tribe'' has the
meaning given the term in

Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).

(13) National forest system.--The term ``National Forest
System'' has the meaning given the term in

(a) of the
Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974
(16 U.S.C. 1609

(a) ).

(14) Public land.--The term ``public land'' means--
(A) public lands (as defined in

Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43
U.S.C. 1702));
(B) the land reconveyed to the United States
pursuant to the first section of the Act of February
26, 1919 (40 Stat. 1179, chapter 47) (commonly known as
``Coos Bay Wagon Road Grant lands'') under the
jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior; and
(C) the land revested in the United States by the
Act of June 9, 1916 (39 Stat. 218, chapter 137)
(commonly known as ``Oregon and California Railroad
Grant lands'') under the jurisdiction of the Secretary
of the Interior.

(15) Relevant committees of congress.--The term ``relevant
committees of Congress'' means--
(A) in the Senate--
(i) the Committee on Agriculture,
Nutrition, and Forestry;
(ii) the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources;
(iii) the Committee on Indian Affairs; and
(iv) the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs; and
(B) in the House of Representatives--
(i) the Committee on Agriculture; and
(ii) the Committee on Natural Resources.

(16) Secretaries.--The term ``Secretaries'' means--
(A) the Secretary; and
(B) the Secretary of the Interior.

(17) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Agriculture.

(18) Secretary concerned.--The term ``Secretary concerned''
means--
(A) the Secretary, with respect to National Forest
System land; and
(B) the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to
public land.

(19) Special district.--The term ``special district'' means
a political subdivision of a State that--
(A) has significant budgetary autonomy or control;
(B) was established by, or pursuant to, the laws of
the State for the purpose of performing a limited and
specific governmental or proprietary function primarily
relating to forest, watershed, or rangeland management
or water supply; and
(C) is distinct from any other unit of local
government within the State.

(20) State.--The term ``State'' means--
(A) each of the several States;
(B) the District of Columbia; and
(C) each territory of the United States.

TITLE I--LANDSCAPE-SCALE RESTORATION

Subtitle A--Addressing Emergency Wildfire Risks in High-priority
Firesheds

(a) Designations.--

(1) Initial fireshed designations.--For the 5-year period
beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, the firesheds
of the United States shall comprise--
(A) the 7,688 firesheds described in the report
published by the Rocky Mountain Research Station of the
Forest Service in 2021; and
(B) the additional 1,262 firesheds in the States of
Alaska and Hawaii and the territories of the United
States designated by the Secretary in the same manner
as the firesheds designated in the report described in
subparagraph
(A) .

(2) Initial fireshed management area designations.--Subject
to paragraph

(5) , for the period beginning not later than 30
days after the date of enactment of this Act and ending on the
date that is 5 years after the date of enactment of this Act,
each Secretary concerned shall designate and make publicly
available on the website of the Secretary concerned a map of
the following fireshed management areas:
(A) Each landscape-scale fireshed identified as a
``high-risk fireshed'' in the document published by the
Forest Service entitled ``Wildfire Crisis Strategy'',
dated January 2022, and expanded in 2023.
(B) The top 20 percent of firesheds in the
continental United States, and the top 25 percent of
firesheds in the continental United States if the
fireshed has a historical presence of Picea glauca var.
densata, identified by the Secretary for wildfire
exposure based on the following criteria:
(i) Wildfire exposure and corresponding
risk to communities, including risk to life,
critical infrastructure, and other structures.
(ii) Wildfire exposure and corresponding
risk to municipal watersheds, including Tribal
water supplies and systems.

(3) Initial designations in alaska, hawaii, and
territories.--Not later than 30 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall designate in the
States of Alaska and Hawaii and the territories of the United
States such additional fireshed management areas as the
Secretary determines to be appropriate, based on the criteria
described in clauses
(i) and
(ii) of paragraph

(2)
(B) .

(4) Map-based updated designations.--
(A) Map of firesheds.--Not later than 5 years after
the date of enactment of this Act, and not less
frequently than once every 5 years thereafter, the
Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of the
Interior, shall submit to the relevant committees of
Congress an updated map of the firesheds of the United
States, which shall--
(i) be based on the Fireshed Registry; and
(ii) include firesheds in the States of
Alaska and Hawaii and the territories of the
United States.
(B) Fireshed management areas.--Not later than 60
days after submitting an updated fireshed map under
subparagraph
(A) , the Secretary shall update the
designations of fireshed management areas to reflect
firesheds depicted on that map that the Secretary, in
consultation with the Secretary of the Interior,
identifies as being in the top 20 percent of firesheds
at risk of wildfire exposure based on the criteria
described in subparagraphs
(A) through
(C) of

(a)

(3) and in accordance with this section.
(C) Publication.--The Secretary shall make each
updated map prepared under this paragraph publicly
available on the Fireshed Registry.

(5) Land location and content.--A fireshed management area
designated under this subsection--
(A) shall not overlap with any other fireshed
management area; and
(B) may contain Federal and non-Federal land,
including Indian forest land or rangeland.

(6) Combining multiple firesheds.--The Secretary, in
consultation with the Secretary of the Interior, if applicable,
may expand a fireshed management area designated under this
subsection to include more than 1 fireshed that is designated
as a fireshed management area under the applicable criteria
described in this section.

(b) Use.--The Secretary concerned may carry out fireshed management
projects on the fireshed management areas designated under this
section.
(c) Applicability of NEPA.--The designation of a fireshed
management area under this section shall not be subject to the
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).

(a)

(a) .

(4) National laboratory.--The term ``National Laboratory''
has the meaning given that term in

Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801).

(b) Establishment.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall establish a joint office,
to be known as the ``Wildland Fire Intelligence Center'', to serve
Federal and non-Federal entities through the functions described in
subsection
(d) .
(c) Headquarters.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Board shall select from within the United
States a permanent location for the physical headquarters of the
Center.
(d) Functions.--The functions of the Center shall include the
following:

(1) Providing real-time, science-based, and data-rich
scientific and technical analytical services, modeling,
monitoring, mapping, decision support, and predictive services
across all phases of fire to inform land and fuels management
(including prescribed fire), pre-fire community and built
environment risk reduction, active fire management and
emergency response, and post-fire recovery in the built and
natural environments.

(2) Providing, disseminating, procuring, if commercially
available, and combining existing data, mapping, technological,
and consultation services to support pre-, active, and post-
fire activities at the local, State, and national levels,
including--
(A) creating and maintaining a real-time nationwide
risk catalog, including the Fireshed Registry;
(B) assisting with the creation of evacuation
plans, public safety power shutoff plans, and wildfire
mitigation and response strategies or plans (including
built environment mitigation plans and community
wildfire protection plans) for at-risk communities;
(C) providing decision support and gridded and
point data forecast and assessment products in support
of operational and planning activities, including the
pre-positioning of wildfire suppression personnel and
assets based on real-time-risk;
(D) assisting with the safe and effective use of
prescribed fire; and
(E) developing a real-time data interface to assist
and inform, in real time, firefighters, first
responders, and approved contractors in responding to
wildfires.

(3) Consolidating air quality monitoring and forecasting
data, including utilizing existing Federal programs, as
appropriate, to help inform risks to public health and protect
the public from smoke impacts associated with wildfires,
including providing planning guidance for safe and effective
beneficial fire opportunities to prevent the risk of wildfires.

(4) Establishing information technology and data
interoperability through--
(A) the development of common data standards to
protect confidential information;
(B) comprehensive searchable data inventories;
(C) working with Tribal governments in nation-to-
nation partnerships, with protections for Tribal data
sovereignty;
(D) the integration and sharing of information and
resources of the Federal Government, States, local
governments, and participating Indian Tribes, as
determined by Tribal governments, to support the
essential functions of the Center; and
(E) regular updates and maintenance of research and
technology essential to achieving the core functions of
the Center, including the evaluation of new and
competing models as those models become available.

(5) Coordinating with the National Wildfire Coordinating
Group, as requested, to develop and improve wildfire
preparedness curricula and training modules for States, Indian
Tribes, and local officials, including emergency managers and
responders.

(6) Administering the pilot program established under

technologies identified under that pilot program and technology
systems related to addressing wildfire and smoke for purposes
of scaling such technologies and systems across Federal
agencies.

(7) Engaging with relevant Federal agencies, State
agencies, and entities in the private sector to improve fire
environment monitoring, forecasting, communication, and
response that may be essential to the core functions of the
Center, if the Executive Director determines that the
engagement is appropriate, beneficial, and cost-effective.

(8)
(A) Establishing wildland fire science, data management
and sharing protocols, and technological research priorities in
cooperation with each regional center informed by the
operational needs of wildland fire management agencies.
(B) Coordinating data collection efforts supporting the
efforts of each regional center, including--
(i) building data layers across each region
described in

(c) (3)
(B) ;
(ii) ensuring data collection and reporting across
each region described in

(c) (3)
(B) is
consistent and standardized; and
(iii) providing updates on the development of
wildland fire research models.
(C) Ensuring the coordination of, and avoid unnecessary
duplication of, the activities of the regional centers and the
activities of institutions of higher education, land-grant
colleges and universities, Federal science agencies, and State
research organizations with respect to wildland fire research,
including--
(i) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration;
(ii) the National Science Foundation;
(iii) the National Laboratories;
(iv) the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration;
(v) the Environmental Protection Agency;
(vi) the United States Fire Administration;
(vii) the United States Geological Survey;
(viii) the research and development program of the
Forest Service;
(ix) the interagency Joint Fire Science Program;
(x) the Department of Defense Strategic
Environmental Research and Development Program; and
(xi) any other relevant entity with specialized
expertise in wildland fire research.
(D) Supporting end-to-end applications that assist wildland
fire management agencies in adopting technologies and
incorporating research findings produced by the regional
centers.

(e) Center Funding.--

(1) In general.--To carry out the functions of the Center,
the Secretaries may transfer funds provided to establish, and
carry out the duties of, the Center among--
(A) the Forest Service, from amounts made available
for Wildland Fire Management;
(B) the Department of the Interior, from amounts
made available for Wildland Fire Management; and
(C) the United States Geological Survey.

(2) Interagency financing.--Notwithstanding

the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations
Act, 2023 (Public Law 117-328; 136 Stat. 4706), or any other,
similar provision of law, interagency financing may be used to
fund the Center.

(3) Notice required.--Not later than 15 days before
transferring funds under paragraph

(1) or

(2) , the Secretary or
the Secretary of the Interior, as applicable, shall submit to
the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee
on Appropriations of the House of Representatives a notice of
the proposed transfer.

(f) Board.--

(1) Membership.--The Center shall be governed by a Board of
Directors, to be composed of 18 members, as follows:
(A) 1 member who is a career employee of the
Department of Agriculture, to be appointed by the
Secretary.
(B) 1 member who is a career employee of the
research and development areas of the Forest Service,
to be appointed by the Chief of the Forest Service.
(C) 1 member who is a career employee in fire and
aviation management of the Forest Service, to be
appointed by the Chief of the Forest Service.
(D) 1 member who is a career employee of the
Department of the Interior, to be appointed by the
Secretary of the Interior.
(E) 1 member who is a career employee of the Bureau
of Land Management, to be appointed by the Director of
the Bureau of Land Management.
(F) 1 member who is a career employee of the Bureau
of Indian Affairs, to be appointed by the Assistant
Secretary for Indian Affairs.
(G) 1 member who is a career employee of the
National Park Service, to be appointed by the Director
of the National Park Service.
(H) 1 member who is a career employee of the United
States Fish and Wildlife Service, to be appointed by
the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife
Service.
(I) 1 member who is a career employee of the United
States Geological Survey, to be appointed by the
Director of the United States Geological Survey.
(J) 1 member who is a career employee of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to be
appointed by the Administrator of the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration.
(K) 1 member who is a career employee of the
National Weather Service, to be appointed by the
Director of the National Weather Service.
(L) 1 member who is a career employee of the
Federal Emergency Management Agency, to be appointed by
the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management
Agency.
(M) 1 member who is a career employee of the United
States Fire Administration, to be appointed by the
Administrator of the United States Fire Administration.
(N) 1 member who is a career employee of the
Department of Defense, to be appointed by the Secretary
of Defense.
(O) 1 member who is a career employee of the
National Science Foundation, to be appointed by the
Director of the National Science Foundation.
(P) 1 member who is a career employee of the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, to be
appointed by the Administrator of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration.
(Q) 1 member who is an elected leader of a Tribal
government or an expert in wildfire management
designated by a Tribal government.
(R) 1 member representing State forestry agencies,
to be appointed by the Secretaries.

(2) Terms.--
(A) In general.--The term of a member of the Board
shall be 3 years, except that, of the members first
appointed--
(i) \1/3\ shall serve for a term of 4
years;
(ii) \1/3\ shall serve for a term of 3
years; and
(iii) \1/3\ shall serve for a term of 2
years.
(B) Additional terms.--After the initial term of a
member of the Board, including the members first
appointed, the member may serve not more than 3
additional 3-year terms, except that a member initially
appointed to a serve a term of 4 years may serve not
more than 2 additional 3-year terms.

(3) Chairperson.--The Chairperson of the Board--
(A) shall be selected by the members of the Board
from among the members appointed under subparagraphs
(B) ,
(I) , and
(J) of paragraph

(1) ;
(B) shall serve for a term of 1 year; and
(C) may be reselected as Chairperson not more than
twice.

(4) Majority vote.--A voting consensus by the Board shall
be not less than a \2/3\ majority vote of the members present.

(5) Nonvoting status.--At the discretion of the Board, the
Board may include nonvoting observers to the Board.

(g) Executive Director.--

(1) In general.--The Center shall have an Executive
Director, who shall--
(A) be appointed by, and serve at the direction of,
the Board; and
(B) be responsible for the management and operation
of the Center.

(2) Contracting authority.--The Executive Director may
enter into and perform contracts, agreements, memoranda of
understanding, or other, similar transactions, as the Executive
Director determines to be appropriate to carry out the
functions of the Center described in subsection
(d) .

(h) Detailees.--The Secretary and the Secretary of the Interior may
detail or assign to the Center such employees of the Department of
Agriculture and the Department of the Interior, respectively, as the
Secretaries determine to be necessary to carry out the duties of the
Center.
(i) Coordination With Other Agencies and Entities.--To carry out
the functions of the Center described in subsection
(d) , the Board
shall coordinate with agencies represented on the Board and other
relevant entities, including--

(1) the National Wildfire Coordinating Group; and

(2) any relevant Federal agency, State, Indian Tribe, local
government, or nongovernmental entity that is representative of
an element of the wildland fire community.

(j) Operational Plan.--

(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the
appointment of the Executive Director, the Executive Director
shall submit to the relevant committees of Congress an initial
operational plan describing--
(A) the structure of the Center;
(B) staffing and funding needs of the Center;
(C) technological capabilities within the
Department of Agriculture, the Department of the
Interior, and the other Federal departments and
agencies comprising the Board that are available to the
Center;
(D) an assessment of the potential of commercially
available technologies to perform the functions of the
Center, together with the costs and timelines of
procuring those technologies or developing relevant
capabilities;
(E) an assessment of--
(i) existing contracting authorities of the
Executive Director to be used for purposes of
subsection

(g)

(2) ; and
(ii) new contracting authorities needed;
and
(F) a timeline for full operational functioning of
the Center.

(2) Inclusions.--The plan under paragraph

(1) shall include
estimated costs, key milestones, coordination strategies with
Federal, State, and private entities, and recommendations for
ensuring the effective operation of the Center.

(3) Updates.--The Executive Director shall update the plan
not less frequently than annually to reflect progress,
adjustments in funding, and the adoption of new technologies.

(k) Pilot Program to Monitor Wildfires by Satellite.--The
Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, in
partnership with the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the
Director of the United States Geological Survey, and with the Executive
Director, shall establish a pilot program--

(1) to purchase and integrate, through a public-private
partnership, data from the latest-generation of wildfire
monitoring satellites that provide monitoring of active fire
behavior, including fire perimeters, burned area, intensity,
severity, and the detection of fires with a low false-positive
rate;

(2) to use the data acquired under paragraph

(1) , and any
analyses relating to that data--
(A) to detect, assess, respond to, and manage
wildfires and rangeland fires; and
(B) to ensure the safety and effectiveness of
prescribed fire treatments;

(3) to develop information-sharing partnerships with State,
local, and Tribal emergency managers, foresters, or other
equivalent officials--
(A) to improve State, local, and Tribal wildfire
monitoring, response, and analysis; and
(B) to provide to the Executive Director an
operational plan for scaling the pilot program across
the United States; and

(4) under which the Secretary of the Interior shall have
the authority to enter into other transactions to leverage
satellite-based wildfire monitoring capabilities.
(l) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section affects the
ownership of any data source.

(a) Establishment.--The Secretaries, acting through the Executive
Director, shall establish and maintain, on a publicly accessible
website, a registry, to be known as the ``Fireshed Registry'', that
provides interactive geospatial data relating to individual firesheds,
including information relating to--

(1) wildland fire exposure, delineated by--
(A) ownership, including rights-of-way for
utilities and other public or private purposes; and
(B) administrative or management responsibility;

(2) any hazardous fuels management activities that have
occurred within an individual fireshed during the preceding 10
years;

(3) wildland fire exposure with respect to a fireshed,
delineated by--
(A) wildfire exposure and corresponding risk to
communities, including risk to life, critical
infrastructure, and other structures;
(B) wildfire exposure and corresponding risk to
municipal watersheds, including Tribal water supplies
and systems; and
(C) risk of vegetation type conversion due to
wildfire;

(4) the percentage of a fireshed burned in wildfire during
the preceding 10 years, including, to the extent practicable,
delineations of acres that have burned at a high severity;

(5) spatial patterns of wildfire exposure, including
plausible extreme fire events; and

(6) any hazardous fuels management activities scheduled for
a fireshed, including fireshed management projects.

(b) Community Wildfire Protection Plans.--The Executive Director
shall make data from the Fireshed Registry available to local
communities developing or updating community wildfire protection plans.
(c) Maintenance.--As part of the website containing the Fireshed
Registry, the Executive Director shall--

(1) publish fireshed assessments conducted under

(2) maintain a searchable database to track--
(A) the status of Federal environmental reviews,
permits, and authorizations for fireshed management
projects, including--
(i) a comprehensive permitting timetable;
(ii) the status of the compliance of each
lead agency, cooperating agency, and
participating agency with the permitting
timetable with respect to fireshed management
projects;
(iii) any required modifications of the
permitting timetable under clause
(i) ,
including an explanation regarding why the
permitting timetable was modified; and
(iv) information regarding any public
meetings, public hearings, and public comment
periods relating to a fireshed management
project, as that information becomes available,
which shall be presented in--
(I) English; and
(II) the predominant language of
each community that is most affected by
the fireshed management project, as
that information becomes available;
(B) the projected cost of fireshed management
projects; and
(C) in the case of a completed fireshed management
project, the estimated effectiveness of the fireshed
management project in--
(i) reducing the wildfire exposure within
the applicable fireshed, including wildfire
exposure described in subparagraphs
(A) through
(C) of subsection

(a)

(3) ; and
(ii) increasing the resilience of wildlife
habitats, including habitat for species listed
as threatened or endangered under the
Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531
et seq.).
(d) Incorporation of Existing Assessments and Data.--In carrying
out this section, the Executive Director shall incorporate any
assessments completed or data gathered through existing partnerships,
to the extent practicable.

(e) Applicability of NEPA.--The establishment and maintenance of
the Fireshed Registry under this section shall not be subject to the
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).

(a) Joint Agreements.--The Secretary concerned shall seek to use an
existing shared stewardship agreement, modify an existing shared
stewardship agreement, or enter into a similar agreement with the
Governor of each State and Indian Tribe that contains a fireshed
management area designated under

(a) --

(1) to promote the reduction of wildfire exposure, based on
the criteria described in

(a)

(3) , in fireshed
management areas across jurisdictional boundaries; and

(2) to conduct fireshed assessments under

(b) Adjustment of Boundaries and Updates to Agreements.--With
respect to an agreement under subsection

(a) , the Secretary concerned,
on request of the applicable Governor, may--

(1) adjust the boundaries of any applicable fireshed
management area to include additional areas from within a
separate fireshed management area designated under

and

(2) update the agreement to address any new wildfire
threats.
(c) Cooperative Agreements.--The Secretaries may enter into
cooperative agreements with units of local government, special
districts, end water users, nongovernmental organizations, institutions
of higher education, Native Hawaiian organizations (as defined in

U.S.C. 7517)), and other entities, at the discretion of the applicable
Secretary to carry out the activities described in paragraphs

(1) and

(2) of subsection

(a) .

(a) In General.--Not later than 120 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary concerned, in cooperation with the
Governor with whom the Secretary concerned enters into an agreement
under

(a) , if applicable, shall conduct a fireshed
assessment in accordance with this section with respect to each
fireshed management area designated in the applicable State or area of
Tribal land.

(b) Requirements.--

(1) In general.--Each fireshed assessment under subsection

(a) shall--
(A) identify--
(i) using the best available science,
wildfire exposure risks within the applicable
fireshed management area, including scenario
planning and wildfire hazard mapping and
models; and
(ii) each at-risk community within the
fireshed management area;
(B) identify the types of fireshed management
projects that could benefit the fireshed management
area, with an emphasis on reducing--
(i) wildfire exposure and corresponding
risk to communities, including risk to life,
critical infrastructure, and other structures;
(ii) wildfire exposure and corresponding
risk to municipal watersheds, including Tribal
water supplies and systems;
(iii) risk of vegetation type conversion
due to wildfire;
(iv) wildfire risk for wildlife habitats,
including habitat for species listed as
threatened or endangered under the Endangered
Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.);
(v) wildfire risk to resources of an Indian
Tribe, as defined by the Indian Tribe; or
(vi) any combination of purposes described
in clauses
(i) through
(v) ; and
(C) include, with respect to the applicable
fireshed management area--
(i) a strategy for reducing the threat of
wildfire--
(I) to protect at-risk communities
in the wildland-urban interface on
Federal and non-Federal land;
(II) to improve the effectiveness
of wildfire firefighting, particularly
the effectiveness of fuels treatments
that would improve wildfire firefighter
safety during wildfires; and
(III) to reduce risk to wildlife
habitats, including habitat for species
listed as threatened or endangered
under the Endangered Species Act of
1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.);
(ii) a timeline for the implementation of
fireshed management projects;
(iii) long-term benchmark goals for the
completion of fireshed management projects in
the highest wildfire exposure areas to ensure
that those fireshed management projects
contribute to the development and maintenance
of healthy and resilient landscapes;
(iv) a strategy to ensure that fireshed
management projects comply with applicable
forest plans and incorporate the best available
science; and
(v) a strategy for maximizing the retention
of late-successional forests, to the extent
that the trees promote stands that are
resilient to insects and disease, and reduce
the risk or extent of, or increase resilience
to, wildfires.

(2) Existing plans.--To the maximum extent practicable, a
fireshed assessment shall incorporate and build on information,
planning, and strategies contained in relevant forest plans,
State forest action plans, Tribal integrated resource
management plans or Tribal forest management plans, watershed
management plans, community wildfire protection plans, and
similar locally led landscape-scale planning documents.

(3) Participation.--
(A) State, tribal, and local governments.--In
addition to the parties to an applicable agreement
described in subsection

(a) , the Secretary concerned
shall coordinate with States, Indian Tribes, units of
local government, and other entities that are parties
to an agreement under

(c) within a fireshed
management area in conducting the fireshed assessment
under paragraph

(1) .
(B) Public.--In carrying out a fireshed assessment
under this section, the Secretary concerned shall
provide an opportunity for public participation during
the 45-day period beginning on the date of initiation
of the assessment, including--
(i) publication of information regarding
the development of the assessment--
(I) on a website maintained by the
Secretary concerned; and
(II) at convenient locations within
the applicable fireshed management
area; and
(ii) at least 1 public meeting.
(c) Updates and Availability.--Each fireshed assessment under
subsection

(a) shall be--

(1) regularly updated based on the best available science,
subject to the requirements of subsection
(d) (2) ; and

(2) made publicly available on 1 or more websites
maintained by the Secretary concerned, including the Fireshed
Registry.
(d) Information Improvement.--

(1) Agreements.--In carrying out a fireshed assessment
under this section, the Secretary concerned may enter into
agreements with other Federal departments and agencies
(including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration), States, Indian Tribes, Native Hawaiian
organizations (as defined in

Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7517)), private
entities, or research or educational institutions to improve,
with respect to the assessment, the use and integration of--
(A) advanced remote sensing and geospatial
technologies;
(B) statistical modeling and analysis; or
(C) any other technology or combination of
technologies and analyses that the Secretary concerned
determines will benefit the quality of information in
the assessment.

(2) Best available science.--In using the best available
science for a fireshed assessment under this section, the
Secretary concerned and the applicable Governor shall
incorporate, to the maximum extent practicable--
(A) traditional ecological knowledge from Indian
Tribes, if requested by the relevant Indian Tribe;
(B) data from State forest action plans and State
wildfire risk assessments;
(C) data from the Fireshed Registry; and
(D) data from other Federal, State, Tribal, and
local governments or agencies.

(e) Applicability of NEPA.--A fireshed assessment under this
section shall not be subject to the requirements of the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).

(a) Fireshed Management Projects.--

(1) In general.--The Secretary concerned, acting through a
responsible official, shall carry out fireshed management
projects on land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary
concerned in fireshed management areas in accordance with this
section, the applicable forest plan, and the laws (including
regulations) applicable to the Secretary concerned.

(2) Applicability of other provisions.--
(A) In general.--The following shall have the force
and effect of law with respect to any fireshed
management project carried out in a fireshed management
area:
(i) Section 220.4

(b) of title 36, Code of
Federal Regulations (as in effect on April 9,
2025), with respect to land under the
jurisdiction of the Secretary.
(ii) Section 46.150 of title 43, Code of
Federal Regulations (as in effect on April 9,
2025), with respect to land under the
jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior.
(iii) Section 402.05 of title 50, Code of
Federal Regulations (as in effect on April 9,
2025).
(iv) Section 800.12 of title 36, Code of
Federal Regulations (as in effect on April 9,
2025), except that any reference contained in
that regulation to an ``agency official'' shall
be considered to be a reference to a
responsible official.
(B) Determination of emergency.--
(i) In general.--A regulation referred to
in subparagraph
(A) shall not apply pursuant to
that subparagraph with respect to a fireshed
management project unless, before carrying out
the fireshed management project, a responsible
official--
(I) determines, in accordance with
the regulation, that an emergency or
emergency circumstance exists;
(II) completes any documentation or
identification processes required under
such regulation; and
(III) provides public notice of the
determination of emergency and each
related fireshed management project
activity by publishing such
determination on a website maintained
by the Secretary concerned.
(ii) Requirement.--In carrying out a
fireshed management project under a regulation
referred to in subparagraph
(A) , a responsible
official shall ensure that such fireshed
management project is consistent with the
applicable forest plan and the laws (including
regulations) and policies applicable to the
Secretary concerned.
(C) Further clarification.--A regulation referred
to in subparagraph
(A) shall not apply to any fireshed
management project unless such fireshed management
project will achieve a land management goal described
in

(c) of the Healthy Forests Restoration
Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591c
(c) ).
(D) Utilization of existing streamlined authorities
in fireshed management areas.--
(i) In general.--Not later than 2 years
after the date of enactment of this Act, with
respect to each fireshed management area that
contains Federal land, the Secretary concerned,
acting through a responsible official, shall
use not fewer than 1 of the following expedited
authorities for environmental review to carry
out fireshed management projects:
(I) Section 603

(a) of the Healthy
Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16
U.S.C. 6591b

(a) ).
(II) Section 605

(a) of the Healthy
Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16
U.S.C. 6591d

(a) ).
(III) Section 606

(b) of the Healthy
Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16
U.S.C. 6591e

(b) ).
(IV) Section 40806

(b) of the
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
(16 U.S.C. 6592b

(b) ).
(ii) Compliance with nepa.--In applying
expedited authorities for environmental review
to carry out fireshed management projects under
clause
(i) , the Secretary concerned shall
ensure--
(I) such project is carried out in
accordance with the statute
establishing the categorical exclusion
applied by the Secretary concerned;
(II) compliance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.); and
(III) such project is carried out
in accordance with the applicable
forest plan and the laws and policies
applicable to the Secretary concerned.
(iii) Additional emergency actions.--The
Secretary may declare an emergency pursuant to