Introduced in Senate — S. 2208

119th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 2208

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

July 8, 2025

Mr. Merkley (for himself, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Wyden, and Mr. Schiff) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

A BILL

To provide mandatory funding for hazardous fuels reduction projects on certain Federal land, 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 Resilient Communities Act.

Sec. 2. Funding for hazardous fuels reduction projects on certain Federal land

(a) Definitions

In this section:

(1) Agency head

The term agency head means—

(A)

the Director of the National Park Service;

(B)

the Chief of the Forest Service;

(C)

the Director of the Bureau of Land Management;

(D)

the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service; and

(E)

the Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

(2) At-risk community; fire regime I; fire regime II; fire regime III

The terms at-risk community, fire regime I, fire regime II, and fire regime III have the meanings given those terms in section 101 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6511).

(3) Covered land

The term covered land means Federal land under the jurisdiction of the applicable agency head.

(4) Hazardous fuels reduction project

The term hazardous fuels reduction project means the removal or modification of flammable vegetation or woody debris through prescribed fire, thinning, brush removal, mastication, pruning, slash treatment, or a combination of those methods, on the condition that the method is ecologically appropriate, cost-effective, and selected on a site-specific basis.

(b) Hazardous fuels reduction projects

(1) In general

The agency heads shall carry out hazardous fuels reduction projects on covered land.

(2) Project priorities

In carrying out paragraph (1), the agency heads shall prioritize hazardous fuels reduction projects that are—

(A)

conducted in areas that—

(i)

are within or adjacent to—

(I)

at-risk communities; or

(II)

high-value watersheds;

(ii)

have very high wildfire hazard potential; or

(iii)

are in fire regime I, fire regime II, or fire regime III; or

(B)

designed to integrate and simultaneously advance 2 or more of the goals established in the report of the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior entitled The National Strategy: the Final Phase of the Development of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy and dated April 2014 and the update entitled National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy Addendum Update and dated January 2023—

(i)

to create fire-adapted communities;

(ii)

to restore and maintain resilient landscapes; and

(iii)

to achieve safe, effective fire response.

(c) Funding

(1) In general

On the first October 1 following the date of enactment of this Act, out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer to the agency heads, in accordance with an allocation formula established by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the agency heads, $30,000,000,000, to remain available until expended.

(2) Receipt and acceptance

The agency heads shall be entitled to receive, shall accept, and shall use to carry out this section the funds transferred under paragraph (1), without further appropriation.

(3) Administrative and planning costs

Not more than 10 percent of funding made available under paragraph (1) may be used for administrative and planning costs.

Sec. 3. Additional amounts for community wildfire defense grant program

In addition to amounts made available to the Secretary of Agriculture under section 40803(c)(12) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 6592(c)(12)), there is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out section 40803(f) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 6592(f)) $3,000,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.

Sec. 4. Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program reauthorization

Section 4003 of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (16 U.S.C. 7303) is amended—

(1)

in subsection (b)(3)—

(A)

in subparagraph (D), by striking species; and inserting species or pathogens;;

(B)

in subparagraph (G), by striking and at the end;

(C)

in subparagraph (H), by adding and after the semicolon at the end; and

(D)

by adding at the end the following:

(I)
address standardized monitoring questions and indicators;;

(2)

in subsection (c)(3)(A)—

(A)

in clause (i), by striking and at the end;

(B)

in clause (ii), by adding and at the end; and

(C)

by adding at the end the following:

(iii)
include a Federal Government staffing plan for providing support to collaborative processes established pursuant to subsection (b)(2);;

(3)

in subsection (d)—

(A)

in paragraph (2)—

(i)

in subparagraph (E), by striking and at the end;

(ii)

in subparagraph (F), by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and

(iii)

by adding at the end the following:

(G)
whether the proposal seeks to use innovative implementation mechanisms, including conservation finance agreements, good neighbor agreements entered into under section 8206 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a), and similar implementation mechanisms;
(H)
whether the proposal seeks to reduce the risk of uncharacteristic wildfire or increase ecological restoration activities—
(i)
within areas across land ownerships, including State, Tribal, and private land; and
(ii)
within the wildland-urban interface; and
(I)
whether the proposal seeks to enhance watershed health and drinking water sources.; and

(B)

in paragraph (3)—

(i)

in subparagraph (A), by striking 10 and inserting 20; and

(ii)

in subparagraph (B), by striking 2 and inserting 4;

(4)

in subsection (e)(3), by inserting conflict resolution or collaborative governance, before and woody; and

(5)

in subsection (f)(6), by striking $80,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023 and inserting $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2026 and each fiscal year thereafter.

Sec. 5. County Stewardship Fund

Section 604 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591c) is amended—

(1)

by redesignating subsection (j) as subsection (k); and

(2)

by inserting after subsection (i) the following:

(j) County Stewardship Fund
(1) In general
There is established in the Treasury of the United States a fund to be known as the County Stewardship Fund (referred to in this section as the Fund), to be administered by the Secretary.
(2) Deposits
Each fiscal year, with respect to each contract under subsection (b), there shall be deposited in the Fund an amount equal to the greater of—
(A)
25 percent of the appraised value of the forest products sold under the applicable contract, to be transferred from the general fund of the Treasury; and
(B)
25 percent of the excess receipts from the applicable contract, as authorized under subsection (g)(2).
(3) Availability
Amounts in the Fund shall—
(A)
be used only for purposes described in paragraph (4); and
(B)
remain available until expended.
(4) Purposes
(A) In general
Each fiscal year, the Chief or the Director, as applicable, shall distribute from amounts in the Fund to each county in which a contract under subsection (b) was carried out on Federal land in the county during the preceding fiscal year a payment of an amount equal to 25 percent of the receipts generated from that contract.
(B) Use of funds
A county receiving a payment under subparagraph (A) may use the payment for any governmental purposes.