Bill > S2208

This bill, called the Wildfire Resilient Communities Act, provides comprehensive funding and strategies for reducing wildfire risks on federal lands. The bill establishes a $30 billion mandatory funding program for federal agency heads (including directors of the National Park Service, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Indian Affairs) to conduct hazardous fuels reduction projects. These projects involve removing or modifying flammable vegetation through methods like prescribed burning, thinning, and brush removal, with a priority on protecting at-risk communities, high-value watersheds, and areas with high wildfire potential. Additionally, the bill authorizes $3 billion for community wildfire defense grants from fiscal years 2027-2031, reauthorizes the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program with expanded goals and increased funding, and creates a new County Stewardship Fund that will provide counties with 25% of the receipts generated from forest product contracts for use in local government operations. The legislation aims to create fire-adapted communities, maintain resilient landscapes, and improve wildfire response capabilities by providing significant financial resources and strategic guidance to federal land management agencies.