Bill > HR7578

This bill, known as the Targeted Operations to Remove Catastrophic Hazards Act (TORCH Act), aims to improve the ability of the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to manage forests and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires. Key provisions include creating a "categorical exclusion" for certain hazardous tree removal activities, which streamlines the environmental review process under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for projects up to 3,000 acres, as long as they don't occur in wilderness areas or inventoried roadless areas. It also expands the use of timber sales for extreme wildfire risk reduction, allowing for sales without a formal appraisal in emergencies, and promotes the use of livestock grazing as a wildfire risk reduction strategy by developing a plan to increase grazing opportunities on vacant allotments during droughts or other disasters. The bill further amends the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to increase the acreage limits for wildfire resilience projects and fuel breaks, and modifies "Good Neighbor Agreements" to allow states, tribes, and counties to retain and use revenue from timber sales for restoration projects. Additionally, it addresses vegetation management around electrical utility lines by increasing the distance for hazard tree removal, expediting approval processes for vegetation management plans, and establishing a categorical exclusion for routine vegetation management and facility maintenance within rights-of-way, with certain exceptions. Finally, the bill reforms administrative requirements by exempting land management plans from reinitiating consultation under the Endangered Species Act when new species are listed or critical habitat is designated, or when new information reveals previously unconsidered effects.