Wildfire Prevention Act of 2025

Bill Number

S. 140

Origin Chamber

Senate

Congress

119th Congress, Session 1

Policy Area

Public Lands and Natural Resources

Status

Introduced

Latest Action

2026-06-10: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.

Last Updated

2026-06-11T12:33:38Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose of the Legislation

The Wildfire Prevention Act of 2025 aims to tackle the forest health crisis on National Forest System lands (managed by the U.S. Forest Service) and public lands (managed by the Bureau of Land Management) by accelerating wildfire prevention treatments, enhancing forest management practices, improving transparency and reporting, and promoting innovative technologies and partnerships to reduce wildfire risks.

Key Provisions

The bill is structured into three titles, focusing on measurable actions, management tools, and agency reforms.

Title I: Accomplishments over Rhetoric

• Accelerating Treatments (Sec. 101): Establishes baseline acres treated with mechanical thinning (commercial and pre-commercial) and prescribed fire from fiscal years 2019–2023. Sets annual goals starting in 2025: matching the baseline in 2025–2026, 20% above in 2027–2028, and 40% above from 2029 onward. Requires regional or state-level allotments and public publication of data. Goal-setting and allotments are exempt from the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a law requiring environmental impact assessments.
• Annual Reports (Sec. 102): Mandates yearly public reports on treated acres, progress toward goals, challenges (e.g., litigation delays), regeneration harvests, high-risk areas (e.g., insect/disease-prone or high wildfire hazard zones), use of streamlined environmental reviews, and partnerships (e.g., good neighbor agreements with states or tribes).
• Transparency in Reporting (Sec. 103): Requires detailed budget-submitted reports on hazardous fuels reduction activities (vegetation management to lower wildfire risk, like thinning or burning) from 2025–2030 using current and new methodologies, including acres treated, wildfire risk levels, costs, and effectiveness. Implements standardized data tracking procedures and reports recommendations to Congress.
• Regional Forest Carbon Accounting (Sec. 104): Directs the Forest Service to assess and publicly report every three years whether National Forest System lands in each region are net carbon sources (releasing more carbon) or sinks (absorbing more carbon), using inventory data.
• Wildland Fire Performance Metrics (Sec. 105): Requires a report to Congress within 18 months on performance indicators to measure wildfire risk reduction, including tracking maintenance of treated lands, local outcomes, national standards, risk quantification, data challenges, and advanced tech integration.

Title II: Forest Management

• Vegetation Management for Power Lines (Sec. 201): Amends the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) to expand the distance for removing hazard trees near electric lines from 10 to 50 feet. Allows permits for utilities to cut and remove vegetation near transmission/distribution facilities without separate timber sales, if consistent with land plans and environmental laws. Proceeds from selling removed materials (minus transport costs) go to the government, but sales are optional.
• Timber Sales (Sec. 202): Increases the threshold for small timber sales on National Forest System lands from $10,000 to $55,000 under the National Forest Management Act, simplifying smaller sales.
• Categorical Exclusion for Hazard Trees (Sec. 203): Creates a NEPA categorical exclusion (a streamlined review process for low-impact actions) for removing "high-priority hazard trees" (dead or unstable trees posing risks to people or property near roads, trails, or recreation sites). Limited to 3,000 acres per project; excludes wilderness areas, roadless areas, and other protected zones. Must follow NEPA procedures and "extraordinary circumstances" checks for sensitive areas.
• Intervenor Status (Sec. 204): Grants local governments and Indian Tribes automatic intervention rights in lawsuits over approved wildfire/insect/disease risk-reduction or timber-harvesting projects on adjacent federal lands, making them full participants in settlements.
• Grazing for Risk Reduction (Sec. 205): Requires a strategy within 18 months to use livestock grazing (e.g., targeted or temporary during disasters) to reduce fuels, eradicate invasive grasses, or aid post-fire recovery. Analyzes permit modifications, tech integration, and vacant allotment use; does not alter existing grazing programs.

Title III: Cultural Change in Agencies

• Mandatory Use of Existing Authorities (Sec. 301): Within three years, requires use of at least one streamlined NEPA authority (e.g., from the Healthy Forests Restoration Act or Infrastructure Act) for environmental reviews on high-risk lands identified in annual reports.
• Public-Private Technology Partnerships (Sec. 302): Establishes a seven-year pilot program for testing innovative wildfire technologies (e.g., AI, remote sensing, communications) through partnerships with private entities, nonprofits, and universities. Coordinated by Agriculture and Interior Secretaries with other agencies (e.g., FEMA, NASA); prioritizes emerging tech; requires annual reports to Congress on participants, costs, and adoption recommendations.
• Repeal of FLAME Reports (Sec. 303): Eliminates annual reporting requirements under the FLAME Act of 2009 on federal wildfire funding and management.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Expands hazard tree removal buffer around power lines (FLPMA amendment).
• Raises small timber sale value limit (National Forest Management Act amendment).
• Introduces a new NEPA categorical exclusion for hazard tree removal, with project caps.
• Mandates specific treatment goals and reporting, exempting planning from NEPA.
• Repeals outdated FLAME Act reporting subsections.
• Adds intervenor rights for locals/tribes in project lawsuits and a tech pilot program.
• Standardizes fuels reduction tracking and carbon accounting, shifting from rhetoric to measurable outcomes.

Potential Impacts

• Government Agencies: Increases workload for the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management through mandated goals, reporting, and strategy development; streamlines some processes to speed up treatments but requires new data systems and partnerships, potentially straining resources initially.
• Citizens: Reduces wildfire risks in high-hazard areas near communities (wildland-urban interface), improving safety and property protection; enhances transparency via public data, aiding community involvement.
• International Relations: No direct impacts; focuses on domestic federal lands.

Main Stakeholders Affected

• Federal Agencies: U.S. Forest Service (Department of Agriculture) and Bureau of Land Management (Department of the Interior) as primary implementers; other agencies like FEMA, NASA, and NOAA for tech pilots.
• Local Governments and Indian Tribes: Gain lawsuit intervention rights and potential benefits from risk reduction on adjacent lands.
• Private Sector and Partners: Utilities (for vegetation management), timber industry (easier sales), grazing permit holders (expanded uses), and tech developers/nonprofits/universities (pilot program opportunities).
• Citizens and Communities: Residents near federal lands, especially in wildfire-prone areas, through safer environments and public reporting.
• Environmental and Conservation Groups: Affected by streamlined reviews and exclusions, which may limit challenges to projects.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

• Legal: Streamlines NEPA processes via exclusions and mandates, potentially reducing delays from environmental litigation but requiring compliance with core environmental laws; introduces data standardization to improve accountability without overriding wilderness protections or other statutes.
• Constitutional: No direct challenges; aligns with federal land management authority under property clause of the Constitution (Article IV, Section 3), emphasizing efficient public resource use.
• Political: Shifts agency culture toward action-oriented metrics over vague plans, appealing to proponents of proactive forest health; may spark debate on balancing rapid treatments with environmental safeguards, influencing future wildfire policy in a changing climate.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY]

Cosponsors (5)

Sen. Daines, Steve [R-MT], Sen. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY], Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT], Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID], Sen. Crapo, Mike [R-ID]

Recent Actions

• 2026-06-10: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
• 2025-12-02: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held.
• 2025-01-16: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (text: CR S228-231)
• 2025-01-16: Introduced in Senate

Bill Versions

• Wildfire Prevention Act of 2025 — issued 2025-01-16 — PDF (29 pages)