Bill > HR3442

This bill, the National Prescribed Fire Act of 2021, aims to significantly increase the use of prescribed fires on federal land. The key provisions of the bill include: - Establishing two new "Prescribed Fire" accounts in the U.S. Treasury to provide funding for the Department of the Interior and Department of Agriculture to develop prescribed fire plans, hire additional personnel, provide training, and assist state, tribal, local, and private prescribed fire programs. - Requiring the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to substantially increase the number and size of prescribed fires conducted on federal land, with a minimum of 1 million acres burned annually. - Creating a new "Collaborative Prescribed Fire Program" within the Department of the Interior to provide financial assistance to eligible entities like federal agencies, tribes, and prescribed fire councils for implementing prescribed fire proposals in priority landscapes. - Establishing a "Large Cross-Boundary Prescribed Fire Incentive Program" to encourage the implementation of large, cross-boundary prescribed fires by providing incentive payments to states, counties, federal land management agencies, and tribes. - Facilitating the implementation and outreach of prescribed fires through measures like allowing federal agencies to enter cooperative agreements with state, local, and private entities, providing direct hire authority for temporary prescribed fire workers, and establishing additional prescribed fire training centers. The bill aims to expand the use of prescribed fire as a tool to reduce wildfire risk and improve forest health, while also addressing liability concerns and improving coordination with air quality regulators.