This bill aims to expedite wildfire prevention projects on high-risk Federal land by amending the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003. Its primary purposes include reducing wildfire risk near communities, private property, and critical infrastructure, while also improving forest health. The legislation also seeks to promote the recovery of threatened or endangered species, such as the sage-grouse, whose habitats are vulnerable to wildland fires. A key provision of the bill establishes categorical exclusions from the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for certain hazardous fuel reduction projects. These exclusions apply to projects involving the removal of insect-infected, dead, or dying trees, or other hazardous fuels threatening infrastructure. They also cover projects on Federal land posing a risk to adjacent non-Federal land, or those treating 10,000 acres or less of high-risk land that benefits threatened or endangered species habitat. However, these exclusions do not apply to areas within the National Wilderness Preservation System, where vegetation removal is prohibited, or within National Monuments.
Get AI-generated questions to help you understand this bill better
Timeline
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Emergency Fuel Reduction Act of 2025
USA119th CongressS-395| Senate
| Updated: 2/4/2025
This bill aims to expedite wildfire prevention projects on high-risk Federal land by amending the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003. Its primary purposes include reducing wildfire risk near communities, private property, and critical infrastructure, while also improving forest health. The legislation also seeks to promote the recovery of threatened or endangered species, such as the sage-grouse, whose habitats are vulnerable to wildland fires. A key provision of the bill establishes categorical exclusions from the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for certain hazardous fuel reduction projects. These exclusions apply to projects involving the removal of insect-infected, dead, or dying trees, or other hazardous fuels threatening infrastructure. They also cover projects on Federal land posing a risk to adjacent non-Federal land, or those treating 10,000 acres or less of high-risk land that benefits threatened or endangered species habitat. However, these exclusions do not apply to areas within the National Wilderness Preservation System, where vegetation removal is prohibited, or within National Monuments.