June 11, 2025
Mr. Gallego introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
To direct the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Secretary of Homeland Security to carry out a quadrennial fire review, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Wildfire Risk Evaluation Act
.
Sec. 2. Sense of Congress
It is the sense of Congress that—
(1)
wildfire management is a complex, multi-jurisdictional issue that requires a whole-of-government approach before, during, and after a fire;
(2)
wildfires spread quickly and may invoke various Federal, State, Tribal, and local jurisdictions simultaneously;
(3)
effective wildfire management requires interagency, cross-boundary, strategic, and holistic solutions;
(4)
relevant Federal, State, Tribal, and local governments should be included in any planning, decision-making, or response activities with respect to wildfire management;
(5)
a purpose of a quadrennial fire review is—
(A)
to forecast conditions that may present the greatest challenges for wildland fire management throughout the 20-year period immediately following such review; and
(B)
to inform the development of long-term, strategic actions to address such challenges;
(6)
the report of the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior entitled The National Strategy: the Final Phase in the Development of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy
(April 2014), as updated by the report entitled National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy Addendum Update
(January 2023), represents a strategic, collaborative effort to address wildfire management in all landscapes and using the best science available to make meaningful progress toward the 3 goals established in such report regarding—
(A)
resilient landscapes;
(B)
fire-adapted communities; and
(C)
safe and effective wildfire response; and
(7)
the report of the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission entitled ON FIRE: The Report of the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission
(September 2023) presents a consensus set of recommendations developed by 50 diverse experts and intended to result in improved outcomes for wildfire management in the United States.
Sec. 3. Quadrennial fire review
(a) Definitions
In this section:
(1) Qualified agencies
The term qualified agencies means—
(A)
with respect to the Secretary of Agriculture, the Forest Service;
(B)
with respect to the Secretary of the Interior, the Department of the Interior;
(C)
with respect to the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the United States Fire Administration; and
(D)
such other entities as the Secretaries determine appropriate.
(2) Relevant committees
The term relevant committees means—
(A)
the Committees on Energy and Natural Resources, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate; and
(B)
the Committees on Natural Resources, Homeland Security, and Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives.
(3) Secretaries
The term Secretaries means the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Secretary of Homeland Security.
(b) Quadrennial review
The Secretaries, acting jointly through the qualified agencies, shall conduct a quadrennial review of the comprehensive wildfire environment in the United States that includes—
(1)
a quantitative analysis of changes to built and natural environments since the most recent quadrennial fire review and the impact of such changes on pre-fire mitigation, wildfire incident response, and proactive recovery from wildfire; and
(2)
an analysis of the intersection between wildfire and public health, conducted in coordination with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
(c) Report
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, and every 4 years for the 20 years thereafter, the Secretaries shall jointly submit to the relevant committees a report that contains—
(1)
the results of the reviews conducted under subsection (b) and specifies the administrative actions and outcomes that have occurred as a result of such reviews;
(2)
a summary of—
(A)
the challenges relating to wildfire that are anticipated during the 20-year period immediately following the report; and
(B)
the most significant long-term wildland fire management challenges;
(3)
recommendations regarding such Federal legislation and administrative actions as the Secretaries determine necessary to address the results described in paragraph (1) and the challenges described in paragraph (2);
(4)
an evaluation of any progress made toward—
(A)
achieving the 3 goals established in the report of the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior entitled The National Strategy: the Final Phase in the Development of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy
(April 2014), as updated by the report entitled National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy Addendum Update
(January 2023); and
(B)
implementing recommendations set forth in the report of the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission entitled ON FIRE: The Report of the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission
(September 2023); and
(5)
projected future scenarios to highlight areas of consideration for realignment of programs, strategies, capabilities, and the workforce that will assist the Secretaries in addressing the challenges described in paragraph (2).