Strengthening Wildfire Resiliency Through Satellites Act of 2025This 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.
Impact
If enacted, HB 527 is expected to have significant implications for state and local wildfire management efforts. By providing funding for the acquisition of high-resolution satellite data, the bill seeks to improve real-time monitoring of wildfire behaviors, assess fire severity, and support better post-fire recovery efforts. The establishment of this program could strengthen the nation’s capacity to respond to wildfires, ultimately contributing to enhanced public safety and environmental protection.
Summary
House Bill 527, titled the 'Strengthening Wildfire Resiliency Through Satellites Act of 2025', is proposed legislation aimed at enhancing the monitoring of wildfires through satellite technology. The bill directs the Secretary of the Interior, in coordination with the United States Geological Survey (USGS), to establish a competitive grant program. Under this program, eligible entities, such as state foresters or emergency management officials, can apply for grants to purchase and integrate advanced imaging capabilities from satellites to monitor wildfires more effectively.
Contention
While the bill aims to bolster wildfire monitoring and management, it may also elicit discussions about the allocation of federal resources and responsibilities. Stakeholders might express views on whether the federal government should take a stronger role in managing wildfire data or if such responsibilities should largely remain localized. Additionally, there may be debates surrounding the effectiveness of such technology in preventing wildfires or the adequacy of funding levels proposed in the bill, which authorizes $20 million annually for three fiscal years.
Western Wildfire Support Act of 2023 This bill establishes activities to address wildfires. The bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of the Interior to establish spatial fire management plans before the end of FY2026. The bill establishes accounts in the Treasury for addressing wildfires, a program to train and certify citizens who wish to be able to volunteer to assist USDA or Interior during a wildland fire incident, a program to award grants to eligible states or units of local government to acquire slip-on tank and pump units for a surge capacity of resources for fire suppression, the Theodore Roosevelt Genius Prize for the management of wildfire-related invasive species, and the Management of Wildfire-Related Invasive Species Technology Advisory Board. The bill also requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to reimburse a state or federal agency for the costs of wildfire suppression as a result of a fire caused by DOD activity, requires the Joint Fire Science Program to work with unmanned aircraft test ranges to carry out research and development of unmanned aircraft system fire applications, requires federal and state disaster preparedness programs to include postdisaster assistance, and authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide funding to a state agency to establish and operate a website to provide information relating to postfire recovery funding and resources to a community or an individual impacted by a wildland fire.
Reforms the organizational structure for the Department of Transportation and Development including its duties, powers, and responsibilities of officers and employees (EN INCREASE SD EX See Note)