Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Wildfire Risk Evaluation Act”.
Wildfire Risk Evaluation Act
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Secretary of Homeland Security to carry out a quadrennial fire review, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Sense of Congress
It is the sense of Congress that—
wildfire management is a complex, multi-jurisdictional issue that requires a whole-of-government approach before, during, and after a fire;
wildfires spread quickly and may invoke various Federal, State, Tribal, and local jurisdictions simultaneously;
effective wildfire management requires interagency, cross-boundary, strategic, and holistic solutions;
relevant Federal, State, Tribal, and local governments should be included in any planning, decision-making, or response activities with respect to wildfire management;
a purpose of a quadrennial fire review is to forecast conditions that may present the greatest challenges for wildland fire management throughout the 20-year period immediately following such review and inform the development of long-term, strategic actions to address such challenges;
the report of the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior entitled “The National Strategy: the Final Phase of the Development of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy” (April 2014), as updated by the report entitled “National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy Addendum Update” (January 2023), represents a strategic, collaborative effort to address wildfire management in all landscapes and using the best science available to make meaningful progress towards the 3 goals established in such report regarding—
resilient landscapes;
fire-adapted communities; and
safe and effective wildfire response; and
the report of the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission entitled “ON FIRE: The Report of the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission” (September 2023) presents a consensus set of recommendations developed by 50 diverse experts and intended to result in improved outcomes for wildfire management in the United States.
Sec. 3 Quadrennial fire review
In general— The Secretaries, acting jointly through the qualified agencies, shall conduct a quadrennial review of the comprehensive wildfire environment in the United States that includes—
a quantitative analysis of changes to built and natural environments since the most recent quadrennial fire review and the impact of such changes on pre-fire mitigation, wildfire incident response, and proactive recovery from wildfire; and
an analysis of the intersection between wildfire and public health, conducted in coordination with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Report— Not later than 12 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 4 years for the 20 years thereafter, the Secretaries shall jointly submit to the relevant committees a report that contains—
the results of the reviews conducted under subsection (a) and specifies the administrative actions and outcomes that have occurred as a result of such reviews;
a summary of—
the challenges relating to wildfire that are anticipated during the 20-year period immediately following the report; and
the most significant long-term wildland fire management challenges;
recommendations regarding such Federal legislation and administrative actions as the Secretaries determine necessary to address the results described in paragraph (1) and the challenges described in paragraph (2);
an evaluation of any progress made toward—
achieving the 3 goals established in the report of the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior entitled “The National Strategy: the Final Phase of the Development of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy” (April 2014), as updated by the report entitled “National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy Addendum Update” (January 2023); and
implementing recommendations set forth in the report of the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission entitled “ON FIRE: The Report of the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission” (September 2023); and
projected future scenarios to highlight areas of consideration for realignment of programs, strategies, capabilities, and the workforce that will assist the Secretaries in addressing the challenges described in paragraph (2).
Definitions— In this Act:
Qualified agencies— The term qualified agencies means—
with respect to the Secretary of Agriculture, the Forest Service;
with respect to the Secretary of the Interior, the Department of the Interior;
with respect to the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the United States Fire Administration; and
such other entities as the Secretaries determine appropriate.
Relevant committees— The term relevant committees means—
the Committees on Natural Resources, Homeland Security, and Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives; and
the Committees on Energy and Natural Resources, Governmental Affairs, and Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate.
Secretaries— The term Secretaries means the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Secretary of Homeland Security.