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 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Environment and Public Works Committee | Hearings Oct 25, 2017Referred 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.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R46684 | Clean Air Act Issues in the 117th Congress Archived | Report | Nov 23, 2021 |
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 |
| HR 3543 | Sage-Grouse and Mule Deer Habitat Conservation and Restoration Act of 2017 | Related bill | Jul 28, 2017 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to discourage litigation against the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management relating to land management projects, to require the Secretary of the Interior to develop a categorical exclusion for covered vegetative management activities carried out to establish or improve habitat for greater sage-grouse and mule deer, to address the forest health crisis on National Forest System land, to expedite and prioritize forest management activities to achieve ecosystem restoration objectives, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Wildfire Prevention and Mitigation Act of 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; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
