Wildfire Prevention and Mitigation Act of 2017
Latest action · Nov 2, 2017 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedNov 2, 2017
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Wildfire Prevention and Mitigation Act of 2017
This bill prohibits any further consultation from being required by the Departments of Agriculture (USDA) or the Interior after the approval of land and resource management plans for National Forest System (NFS) lands or land use plans for public lands, respectively, with respect to: (1) the listing of a species as threatened or endangered or a designation of a critical habitat, if such a plan has already been adopted; or (2) any provision of such plan.
Interior shall develop one or more categorical exclusions, from requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to conduct environmental assessment and environmental impact statements, for specified vegetative management activities that are carried out to establish or improve habitat for the greater sage-grouse or mule deer.
The Forest Service shall prepare an environmental assessment for each ecosystem restoration project, stewardship contracting project, and project under a good neighbor agreement on certain NFS land. Under the assessment, it shall study and describe in each project both the proposed action and a no-action alternative.
The Forest Service shall establish an arbitration pilot program as an alternative dispute resolution process in lieu of judicial review for such projects.
The Forest Service shall prioritize and carry out ecosystem restoration projects to accomplish one or more of specified objectives.
A categorical exclusion is made available for certain forest management activities in order to: (1) expedite specified critical response actions, (2) meet forest plan goals for early seral and early successional forests, (3) improve wildlife habitats, and (4) thin forests.
The bill makes permanent USDA's authority to designate treatment areas that are experiencing an insect or disease epidemic.
Cosponsors 3
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Nov 2, 2017.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-SD | John Thune | Original | Nov 2, 2017 |
| R-UT | Orrin G. Hatch | Original | Nov 2, 2017 |
| R-MT | Steve Daines | Original | Nov 2, 2017 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Nov 2, 2017Introduced in Senate
- Nov 2, 2017Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
- Oct 25, 2017Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Hearings held prior to introduction and/or referral. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 115-227.
Related bills 6
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 605 | Litigation Relief for Forest Management Projects Act | Related bill | Sep 27, 2017 |
| S 879 | National Forest Ecosystem Improvement Act of 2017 | Related bill | Apr 6, 2017 |
| S 1417 | Sage-Grouse and Mule Deer Habitat Conservation and Restoration Act of 2018 | Related bill | Sep 7, 2018 |
| HR 1483 | Litigation Relief for Forest Management Projects Act | Related bill | Mar 23, 2017 |
| S 1731 | Forest Management Improvement Act of 2017 | Related bill | Sep 27, 2017 |
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources.
- Administrative law and regulatory procedures
- Administrative remedies
- Alternative dispute resolution, mediation, arbitration
- Birds
- Congressional oversight
- Department of Agriculture
- Department of the Interior
- Ecology
- Endangered and threatened species
- Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
- Fires
- Forests, forestry, trees
- Insects
- Land use and conservation
- Mammals
- Performance measurement
- Pest management
- Public Lands and Natural Resources
- Public participation and lobbying
- Roads and highways
- Water quality
- Water use and supply
- Watersheds
- Wildlife conservation and habitat protection
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Nov 2, 2017Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.