Fix Our Forests Act
United States118th CongressHR-8790House of Representatives
Updated: Nov 12, 2024
Summary
Fix Our Forests Act This bill establishes requirements for managing forests on federal land, including requirements concerning reducing wildfire threats, expediting the review of certain forest management projects, and implementing forest management projects and other activities. Specifically, the bill (1) designates certain firesheds at high risk for wildfires as fireshed management areas; (2) directs the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Geological Survey to jointly establish an interagency Fireshed Center that is responsible for duties related to assessing and predicting fire, including maintaining a fireshed registry on a publicly accessible website that provides interactive geospatial data on individual firesheds; and (3) makes other requirements related to reducing wildfire. Next, the bill expedites the review of certain forest management projects under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 and exempts certain activities from NEPA review. It also establishes intra-agency strike teams to accelerate the review and any interagency consultation processes under NEPA, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and the National Historic Preservation Act. It also limits consultation requirements concerning threatened and endangered species under the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 and the Federal Land Management and Policy Act of 1976. Finally, it limits litigation involving fireshed management projects and limits remedies that courts may provide. Additionally, the bill supports reducing community wildfire risks, carrying out forest restoration and stewardship activities, conducting biochar demonstration projects, and advancing technologies to address forest wildfires.
Bill texts
Timeline
On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 268 - 151 (Roll no. 448).
House of Representatives
View voteMotion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
House of Representatives
The Clerk was authorized to correct section numbers, punctuation, and cross references, and to make other necessary technical and conforming corrections in the engrossment of H.R. 8790.
House of Representatives
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Senate