Us Congress 2025-2026 Regular Session

Us Congress Senate Bill SB449 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	II
2	2	119THCONGRESS
3	3	1
4	4	STSESSION S. 449
5	5	To amend the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to require the Sec-
6	6	retary of Agriculture to expedite hazardous fuel or insect and disease
7	7	risk reduction projects on certain National Forest System land, and
8	8	for other purposes.
9	9	IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
10	10	FEBRUARY6 (legislative day, FEBRUARY5), 2025
11	11	Mr. T
12	12	HUNE(for himself and Mr. RISCH) introduced the following bill; which
13	13	was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition,
14	14	and Forestry
15	15	A BILL
16	16	To amend the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003
17	17	to require the Secretary of Agriculture to expedite haz-
18	18	ardous fuel or insect and disease risk reduction projects
19	19	on certain National Forest System land, and for other
20	20	purposes.
21	21	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1
22	22	tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2
23	23	SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3
24	24	This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Expediting Forest Res-4
25	25	toration and Recovery Act of 2025’’. 5
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28	28	•S 449 IS
29	29	SEC. 2. APPLICATION BY FOREST SERVICE OF AUTHORI-1
30	30	TIES TO EXPEDITE ENVIRONMENTAL ANAL-2
31	31	YSES IN CARRYING OUT HAZARDOUS FUEL 3
32	32	AND INSECT AND DISEASE RISK REDUCTION 4
33	33	PROJECTS. 5
34	34	Section 104 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act 6
35	35	of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6514) is amended by adding at the 7
36	36	end the following: 8
37	37	‘‘(i) A
38	38	PPLICATION BYFORESTSERVICE OFAUTHORI-9
39	39	TIESTOEXPEDITEENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSES INCAR-10
40	40	RYINGOUTHAZARDOUSFUEL ANDINSECT ANDDISEASE 11
41	41	R
42	42	ISKREDUCTIONPROJECTS.— 12
43	43	‘‘(1) D
44	44	EFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 13
45	45	‘‘(A) I
46	46	NSECT AND DISEASE TREATMENT 14
47	47	AREA.—The term ‘insect and disease treatment 15
48	48	area’ means an area that— 16
49	49	‘‘(i) is designated by the Secretary as 17
50	50	an insect and disease treatment area under 18
51	51	this title; or 19
52	52	‘‘(ii) is designated as at-risk or a haz-20
53	53	ard on the most recent National Insect and 21
54	54	Disease Risk Map published by the Forest 22
55	55	Service. 23
56	56	‘‘(B) S
57	57	ECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ 24
58	58	has the meaning given the term in section 25
59	59	101(14)(A). 26
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62	62	•S 449 IS
63	63	‘‘(2) USE OF AUTHORITIES.—In carrying out a 1
64	64	hazardous fuel or insect and disease risk reduction 2
65	65	project authorized under this Act in an insect and 3
66	66	disease treatment area, the Secretary shall— 4
67	67	‘‘(A) apply the categorical exclusion estab-5
68	68	lished by section 603 if the project is carried 6
69	69	out in an insect and disease treatment area— 7
70	70	‘‘(i) designated as suitable for timber 8
71	71	production within the applicable forest 9
72	72	plan; or 10
73	73	‘‘(ii) where timber harvest activities 11
74	74	are not prohibited; 12
75	75	‘‘(B) conduct applicable environmental as-13
76	76	sessments and environmental impact statements 14
77	77	in accordance with this section if the project is 15
78	78	carried out in— 16
79	79	‘‘(i) an insect and disease treatment 17
80	80	area— 18
81	81	‘‘(I) outside of an area described 19
82	82	in subparagraph (A); or 20
83	83	‘‘(II) where other significant re-21
84	84	source concerns exist, as determined 22
85	85	exclusively by the Secretary; or 23
86	86	‘‘(ii) an insect and disease treatment 24
87	87	area equivalent to not less than a Hydro-25
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90	90	•S 449 IS
91	91	logic Unit code 5 watershed, as defined by 1
92	92	the United States Geological Survey; and 2
93	93	‘‘(C) notwithstanding subsection (d), in the 3
94	94	case of any other hazardous fuel or insect and 4
95	95	disease risk reduction project, in the environ-5
96	96	mental assessment or environmental impact 6
97	97	statement prepared under subsection (b), study, 7
98	98	develop, and describe— 8
99	99	‘‘(i) the proposed agency action; and 9
100	100	‘‘(ii) the alternative of no action. 10
101	101	‘‘(3) P
102	102	RIORITY FOR REDUCING RISKS OF IN -11
103	103	SECT INFESTATION AND WILDFIRE .—Except where 12
104	104	established as a mandatory standard that constrains 13
105	105	project and activity decisionmaking in a resource 14
106	106	management plan (as defined in section 101(13)(A)) 15
107	107	in effect on the date of enactment of this Act, in the 16
108	108	case of an insect and disease treatment area, the 17
109	109	Secretary shall prioritize reducing the risks of insect 18
110	110	and disease infestation and wildfire over other plan-19
111	111	ning objectives. 20
112	112	‘‘(4) I
113	113	NCLUSION OF FIRE REGIME GROUP IV .— 21
114	114	Notwithstanding section 603(c)(2)(B), the Secretary 22
115	115	shall apply the categorical exclusion described in 23
116	116	paragraph (2)(A) to areas in Fire Regime Group IV. 24
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119	119	•S 449 IS
120	120	‘‘(5) EXCLUDED AREAS.—This subsection shall 1
121	121	not apply to— 2
122	122	‘‘(A) a component of the National Wilder-3
123	123	ness Preservation System; or 4
124	124	‘‘(B) an inventoried roadless area, except 5
125	125	in the case of an activity that is permitted 6
126	126	under— 7
127	127	‘‘(i) the final rule of the Secretary en-8
128	128	titled ‘Special Areas; Roadless Area Con-9
129	129	servation’ (66 Fed. Reg. 3244 (January 10
130	130	12, 2001)); or 11
131	131	‘‘(ii) a State-specific roadless area 12
132	132	conservation rule. 13
133	133	‘‘(6) R
134	134	EPORTS.—The Secretary shall annually 14
135	135	make publicly available data describing the acreage 15
136	136	treated under hazardous fuel or insect and disease 16
137	137	risk reduction projects in insect and disease treat-17
138	138	ment areas during the previous year.’’. 18
139	139	SEC. 3. GOOD NEIGHBOR AUTHORITY. 19
140	140	Section 8206(b)(2) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 20
141	141	(16 U.S.C. 2113a(b)(2)) is amended by striking subpara-21
142	142	graph (C) and inserting the following: 22
143	143	‘‘(C) T
144	144	REATMENT OF REVENUE .—Funds 23
145	145	received from the sale of timber by a Governor 24
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148	148	•S 449 IS
149	149	of a State under a good neighbor agreement 1
150	150	shall be retained and used by the Governor— 2
151	151	‘‘(i) to carry out authorized restora-3
152	152	tion services under that good neighbor 4
153	153	agreement; and 5
154	154	‘‘(ii) if funds remain after carrying 6
155	155	out authorized restoration services under 7
156	156	clause (i), to carry out authorized restora-8
157	157	tion services within the State under other 9
158	158	good neighbor agreements.’’. 10
159	159	Æ
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