HR 6903 United States House · 117th Congress

To require the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out activities to suppress wildfires, and for other purposes.

Summary
This bill sets out requirements for wildfire suppression and management activities carried out by the Forest Service. Within 24 hours of detecting a wildfire on Forest Service land, the service must use (to the maximum extent practicable) all available resources to extinguish the wildfire. Additionally, the service may not inhibit the firefighting activities of state and local agencies that are authorized to respond to wildfires on Forest Service land. Further, the service may not initiate a backfire or burnout as part of a fire suppression strategy unless ordered by the responsible incident commander and must control any initiated fire until it is extinguished. An individual who is harmed by an improperly initiated or controlled backfire or burnout may sue the United States. The bill also limits the service's use of prescribed fires (i.e., the controlled application of fire by a team of experts under specified weather conditions to restore health to ecosystems that depend on fire). The service must comply with all applicable laws and regulations concerning prescribed fires and must immediately suppress (to the maximum extent practicable) a prescribed fire that exceeds its prescription.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2022
Committee Review
Floor Vote
President
Introduced Mar 2, 2022 Last action Mar 8, 2022
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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
4
Key actions
0
Committee
3
Mar 8, 2022
Committee
Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands.
lower
Mar 8, 2022
Committee
Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry.
lower
Mar 2, 2022
Committee
Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
lower
Mar 2, 2022
Introduced
Introduced in House
lower
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor

Sponsors