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This bill would speed up certain wildfire prevention projects on federal land that is at high risk of burning, especially land near homes, private property, and important infrastructure. It would let some fuel-reduction projects skip the usual environmental review under federal law, as long as they focus on removing dead, dying, insect-damaged, or otherwise dangerous trees and fuels. The goal is to lower wildfire danger, improve forest health, and help protect wildlife habitat, including habitat for threatened or endangered species.
- Projects could qualify for the faster review if they remove hazardous fuels that threaten things like power lines, communication systems, water supplies, campgrounds, roads, schools, or other infrastructure.
- The bill also covers projects on federal land where wildfire, insect outbreaks, disease, or invasive species could spread harm to nearby non-federal land.
- Smaller projects of 10,000 acres or less could also qualify if they are in areas at high wildfire risk or if they benefit habitat for protected species, species being considered for protection, or species of special concern.
- The faster process would not apply to wilderness areas, places where federal law already bans removing vegetation, or national monuments that existed when the bill becomes law.
Official Summaries
Emergency Fuel Reduction Act of 2025
This bill categorically excludes from the environmental review requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) certain hazardous fuel reduction projects on federal land. A categorical exclusion applies to a class of actions that do not require an environmental assessment nor an environmental impact statement under NEPA.
The categorical exclusion established by the bill applies to a hazardous fuel reduction project that (1) involves the removal of trees that are dead, dying, or insect-infected or present a threat to public safety; (2) involves the removal of hazardous fuels threatening infrastructure; (3) is conducted on federal land with conditions that pose a risk to adjacent nonfederal land; or (4) treats 10,000 acres or less of federal land that is at particular risk for wildfire, contains threatened and endangered species habitat, or provides conservation benefits to certain species, such as a special concern species.
This categorical exclusion does not apply to federal land (1) that is a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, (2) on which the removal of vegetation is specifically prohibited by federal law, or (3) that is within a national monument as of the date of enactment of this bill.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 395 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 395
To amend the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to expedite
wildfire prevention projects to reduce the risk of wildfire on certain
high-risk Federal land, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 4, 2025
Ms. Lummis (for herself, Mr. Barrasso, and Mr. Sheehy) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Environment and Public Works
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to expedite
wildfire prevention projects to reduce the risk of wildfire on certain
high-risk Federal land, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Emergency Fuel Reduction Act of
2025''.
SEC. 2. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this Act are--
(1) to expedite wildfire prevention projects to reduce the
risk of wildfire on certain high-risk Federal land adjacent to
communities, private property, and critical infrastructure;
(2) to improve forest and wildland health; and
(3) to promote the recovery of threatened or endangered
species or other species under consideration to be listed under
the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.),
including the sage-grouse species, the habitat of which is
negatively impacted by wildland fire.
SEC. 3. EXPEDITED REVIEW OF PROJECTS ON FEDERAL LAND.
Section 104 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16
U.S.C. 6514) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsections (e) through (h) as
subsections (f) through (i), respectively;
(2) in subsection (c)(1)(C)(i), by striking ``subsection
(f)'' and inserting ``subsection (g)''; and
(3) by inserting after subsection (d) the following:
``(e) Categorical Exclusion of Certain Projects.--
``(1) In general.--An authorized hazardous fuel reduction
project shall be categorically excluded from the requirements
of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C.
4321 et seq.) if the authorized hazardous fuel reduction
project--
``(A) involves the removal of--
``(i) insect-infected trees;
``(ii) dead or dying trees;
``(iii) trees presenting a threat to public
safety; or
``(iv) other hazardous fuels threatening--
``(I) utility or communications
infrastructure;
``(II) municipal water supply
systems;
``(III) campgrounds;
``(IV) roadsides;
``(V) schools; or
``(VI) other infrastructure;
``(B) is conducted on Federal land on which the
Secretary determines that conditions, such as the risk
of wildfire, an insect or disease epidemic, or the
presence of invasive species, pose a risk to adjacent
non-Federal land; or
``(C) treats 10,000 acres or less of Federal land
that--
``(i) is at particular risk for wildfire;
``(ii) contains threatened and endangered
species habitat; or
``(iii) provides conservation benefits to--
``(I) a species that is not listed
as an endangered species or a
threatened species under section 4 of
the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16
U.S.C. 1533), but is under
consideration to be so listed;
``(II) a State-listed species; or
``(III) a special concern species.
``(2) Applicability.--This subsection shall not apply to
Federal land--
``(A) that is a component of the National
Wilderness Preservation System;
``(B) on which the removal of vegetation is
specifically prohibited by Federal law; or
``(C) that is within a National Monument as of the
date of enactment of the Emergency Fuel Reduction Act
of 2025.''.
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