Bill > HR3439

This bill, the Emergency Wildfire Act of 2023, aims to increase the pace and scale of forest restoration and land management projects across the National Forest System. The key provisions of the bill include: 1. Establishing a pilot program that allows the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into conservation finance agreements with public or private entities to carry out landscape-scale forest restoration projects, leveraging non-federal investment in addition to federal funding. 2. Creating a program to improve the energy resilience and power needs of critical facilities through the development and use of microgrids, renewable energy, and other technologies. 3. Expanding the use of weather-resistant building materials and wildfire mitigation planning in the existing Weatherization Assistance Program. 4. Requiring the Secretary of Agriculture and Secretary of the Interior to expedite the placement of wildfire detection equipment and utilize new technologies for wildfire monitoring and analysis. 5. Establishing one or more Western Prescribed Fire Centers to train individuals in prescribed fire methods and conduct research to mitigate wildfire risk. 6. Establishing a grant program to assist in the development of innovative workforce training and education programs related to forestry and fire management careers. 7. Creating a National Community Capacity and Land Stewardship Grant Program to support community-based organizations in disadvantaged communities for land stewardship activities on National Forest System lands and national grasslands. The overall goal of the bill is to increase the pace and scale of forest restoration, reduce the risk of uncharacteristic wildfires, and build community resilience to wildfires through a combination of policy, funding, and capacity-building initiatives.