Bill Details
HR.527 - 119th Congress
Status
Latest action
2025-01-16 - Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Introduced Date
2025-01-16
Policy Area
Emergency Management
Committees
View committees (1)
Cosponsors
8
0
0
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would create a new grant program to help states monitor wildfires using satellites. The Department of the Interior, through the U.S. Geological Survey, would have to set up the program within one year and award at least three grants to state wildfire or emergency officials. The money would support better satellite tools and data so officials can spot fires faster, track how they grow, understand how severe they are, improve planned burning safety, and support recovery after a fire.
- Grant recipients could use the funding to buy and combine advanced satellite imaging tools, including visible, infrared, thermal, and radar data, through public-private partnerships.
- The satellite data would be used to detect, assess, respond to, and manage wildfires, with a focus on active fire behavior, burned areas, fire intensity, and fire severity.
- The bill also directs the department to report to Congress within two fiscal years on how many applications were received, who received grants, how the program affected wildfire prevention, and whether it should become a long-term program.
- The bill authorizes $20 million per year for fiscal years 2026 through 2028 to fund the program.
Official Summaries
Strengthening Wildfire Resiliency Through Satellites Act of 2025
This bill requires the U.S. Geological Survey to establish a competitive grant program to fund satellite monitoring of wildfires. The entities eligible to receive the grants are state foresters, emergency managers, and equivalent state officials. Grant recipients must use the funds for purchasing and integrating satellite data on wildfire monitoring and for using the data to detect and manage wildfires.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 527 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 527
To direct the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of
the United States Geological Survey, to establish a grant program for
monitoring wildfires by satellite.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 16, 2025
Ms. Pettersen (for herself and Mr. Obernolte) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of
the United States Geological Survey, to establish a grant program for
monitoring wildfires by satellite.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Strengthening Wildfire Resiliency
Through Satellites Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. MONITORING WILDFIRES BY SATELLITE.
(a) Grant Program To Monitor Wildfires by Satellite.--
(1) Establishment.--Not later than one year after the date
of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall establish
a competitive grant program under which the Secretary shall
make at least three grants to eligible entities to monitor
wildfires by satellite (in this section referred to as the
``Program'').
(2) Eligible projects.--Each eligible entity awarded a
grant under the Program shall only use such grant to--
(A) purchase and integrate, through a public-
private partnership, high-resolution multi- and hyper-
spectral full spectrum imaging capability from visible,
near-infrared, shortwave infrared, thermal infrared,
and radar data from the latest-generation of wildfire
monitoring satellites; and
(B) use the data acquired under subparagraph (A),
as well as any analyses relating to such data, to
detect, assess, respond to, and manage wildfires, with
an emphasis on--
(i) monitoring active fire behavior, burned
area, intensity, and severity;
(ii) ensuring the safety and effectiveness
of prescribed fire treatments; and
(iii) guiding post-fire risk assessment and
disaster recovery.
(3) Application.--To be eligible for a grant under the
Program, an eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary an
application at such time, in such manner, and containing such
information as the Secretary may require.
(4) Grant amount.--Each grant awarded under the Program
shall be in an amount the Secretary determines appropriate.
(5) Report.--Not later than the last day of the second
fiscal year beginning after the date of the enactment of this
section, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that
includes--
(A) the number of applications received for a grant
under the Program;
(B) details of each eligible entity that was
awarded a grant under the Program;
(C) the impact of the Program on wildfire
prevention;
(D) any recommendation that the Secretary
determines appropriate to establish the Program as a
long-term grant program; and
(E) any other information on the effectiveness of
the Program that the Secretary determines appropriate.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026
through 2028 to carry out the Program.
(c) Definitions.--In this section--
(1) the term ``eligible entity'' means a State forester,
emergency manager, or equivalent State official; and
(2) the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of the
Interior, acting through the Director of the United States
Geological Survey.
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