The Targeted Operations to Remove Catastrophic Hazards Act, or TORCH Act, aims to significantly improve the efficiency and scope of forest management activities undertaken by the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior. Its primary goal is to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires by streamlining administrative processes and expanding the tools available for hazardous fuel reduction. The bill introduces new categorical exclusions for specific activities and increases the acreage limits for several existing forest restoration and fuel break projects. Specifically, the legislation creates a new categorical exclusion for high-priority hazard tree activities up to 3,000 acres, focusing on trees posing a risk to people or property near roads and recreation sites. It also raises the timber sale threshold without appraisal from $10,000 to $50,000 for extreme risk situations and mandates a strategy to increase the use of livestock grazing as a wildfire risk reduction tool, including for post-fire recovery and targeted fuels reduction. Furthermore, the bill extends the cross-boundary wildfire mitigation program under the Healthy Forests Restoration Act to 2030 and expands the maximum project size for wildfire resilience and fuel break projects from 3,000 to 10,000 acres. The bill modifies the Good Neighbor Authority to explicitly include Indian tribes, allowing them, along with Governors and counties, to retain and utilize revenue from timber sales for authorized restoration services. For electrical utilities, the Act expands the hazard tree removal zone around power lines from 10 to 50 feet and streamlines the approval process for vegetation management plans. A new categorical exclusion is established for routine vegetation management activities within electric utility rights-of-way, explicitly exempting these activities from certain environmental review requirements, including those under the Endangered Species Act and National Historic Preservation Act, though permanent roads are prohibited. Finally, the TORCH Act reforms certain administrative requirements by amending the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act. These amendments specify that federal agencies are not required to reinitiate consultation under the Endangered Species Act for land management plans when a new species is listed, critical habitat is designated, or new information emerges, if the plan's effects were previously considered. This aims to prevent delays in forest management due to evolving environmental listings.
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Timeline
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
The Targeted Operations to Remove Catastrophic Hazards Act, or TORCH Act, aims to significantly improve the efficiency and scope of forest management activities undertaken by the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior. Its primary goal is to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires by streamlining administrative processes and expanding the tools available for hazardous fuel reduction. The bill introduces new categorical exclusions for specific activities and increases the acreage limits for several existing forest restoration and fuel break projects. Specifically, the legislation creates a new categorical exclusion for high-priority hazard tree activities up to 3,000 acres, focusing on trees posing a risk to people or property near roads and recreation sites. It also raises the timber sale threshold without appraisal from $10,000 to $50,000 for extreme risk situations and mandates a strategy to increase the use of livestock grazing as a wildfire risk reduction tool, including for post-fire recovery and targeted fuels reduction. Furthermore, the bill extends the cross-boundary wildfire mitigation program under the Healthy Forests Restoration Act to 2030 and expands the maximum project size for wildfire resilience and fuel break projects from 3,000 to 10,000 acres. The bill modifies the Good Neighbor Authority to explicitly include Indian tribes, allowing them, along with Governors and counties, to retain and utilize revenue from timber sales for authorized restoration services. For electrical utilities, the Act expands the hazard tree removal zone around power lines from 10 to 50 feet and streamlines the approval process for vegetation management plans. A new categorical exclusion is established for routine vegetation management activities within electric utility rights-of-way, explicitly exempting these activities from certain environmental review requirements, including those under the Endangered Species Act and National Historic Preservation Act, though permanent roads are prohibited. Finally, the TORCH Act reforms certain administrative requirements by amending the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act. These amendments specify that federal agencies are not required to reinitiate consultation under the Endangered Species Act for land management plans when a new species is listed, critical habitat is designated, or new information emerges, if the plan's effects were previously considered. This aims to prevent delays in forest management due to evolving environmental listings.
Get AI-generated questions to help you understand this bill better
Timeline
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.