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Title II — Wildfire detection and suppression support

S. 91 · 119th Congress · Jan 14, 2025 · Lineage

II Wildfire detection and suppression support

Sec. 201 Wildfire detection equipment

To the extent practicable, the Secretary concerned shall—
(1)
expedite the placement of wildfire detection equipment, such as sensors, cameras, and other relevant equipment, in areas at risk of wildfire;
(2)
expand the use of satellite data to improve wildfire detection and response;
(3)
expedite any permitting required by the Secretary concerned for the installation, maintenance, or removal of wildfire detection equipment;
(4)
use unmanned aerial vehicles to assess wildland fires in their incipient stages to determine the appropriate initial response actions;
(5)
review permitting described in paragraph (3) and procurement requirements for wildfire detection equipment within the context of modern and innovative technology; and
(6)
annually provide a forum for companies engaging in the development and testing of emergent wildland fire technology to engage with wildland fire managers.

Sec. 202 Slip-on tanker units

(a)
Financial assistance for acquisition of firefighting slip-on tanker units— Section 40803(c)(5) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 6592(c)(5)) is amended by inserting “and Indian Tribes” after “local governments”.
(b)
Reporting requirement—
(1)
In general— The Secretary of the Interior shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives an annual report on the implementation of section 40803(c)(5) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 6592(c)(5)), including a description of—
(A)
the total number of slip-on tanker units purchased with financial assistance provided by the Secretary of the Interior under that section in the preceding year, by State;
(B)
the number of requests received by the Secretary of the Interior for financial assistance under that section to purchase slip-on tanker units in the preceding year; and
(C)
any barriers identified by the Secretary of the Interior to the ability of local governments and Indian Tribes to participate in the pilot program established under that section.
(2)
Timing—
(A)
Initial report— The Secretary of the Interior shall submit the first report required under paragraph (1) not later than October 1, 2026.
(B)
Sunset— The requirements of this subsection shall expire on October 1, 2028.
(c)
Integration into wildfire response— The Secretaries, in coordination with recipients of financial assistance for slip-on tanker units provided under section 40803(c)(5) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 6592(c)(5)), shall—
(1)
in coordination with the Administrator of the U.S. Fire Administration, promulgate guidance for the mobilization of slip-on tanker units for wildfire response;
(2)
as practicable, incorporate mobilized slip-on tanker units into resource tracking systems; and
(3)
collaborate with the Administrator of the U.S. Fire Administration regarding any necessary training for operators of slip-on tanker units.

Sec. 203 Research and development of unmanned aircraft system fire applications

(a)
Definition of unmanned aircraft system— In this section, the term unmanned aircraft system means an unmanned aircraft and associated elements (including, if applicable, communication links and the components that control the unmanned aircraft) that are required for the operator to operate safely and efficiently.
(b)
Research— The Secretaries shall, acting through the Joint Fire Science Program, work with universities and other research institutions to carry out research and development on the wildfire response applications of unmanned aircraft systems.
(c)
Testing— The Secretaries may coordinate with the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to test an unmanned aircraft system developed under this section at an unmanned aircraft test range in accordance with section 44803 of title 49, United States Code.
(d)
Authorization of appropriations— There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretaries such sums as are necessary to carry out this section.

Sec. 204 Study on drone incursions on wildfire suppression

(a)
Definitions— In this section:
(1)
Administrator— The term Administrator means the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration.
(2)
Drone— The term drone means an unmanned aircraft system owned by a private individual or entity.
(3)
Drone incursion— The term drone incursion means the operation of a drone within any airspace for which the Administrator has issued a temporary flight restriction because of a wildfire.
(b)
Study required— The Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, shall conduct a study on the effects of drone incursions on wildfire suppression with respect to land managed by the Department of the Interior or the Department of Agriculture.
(c)
Study contents— In conducting the study required under subsection (b), the Administrator shall—
(1)
determine, for each of the 5 most recent calendar years—
(A)
the number of occurrences in which a drone incursion interfered with wildfire suppression; and
(B)
the estimated effect of each occurrence described in subparagraph (A) on—
(i)
the length of time required to achieve complete suppression;
(ii)
any associated delay in the fielding of aerial firefighting response units; and
(iii)
the amounts expended by the Federal Government; and
(2)
evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of various actions to prevent drone incursions, including—
(A)
the use of counter-drone radio towers;
(B)
the use of reasonable force to disable, damage, or destroy a drone;
(C)
the seizure of a drone, including seizure with a net device; and
(D)
the dissemination of educational materials relating to the effects of drone incursions on wildfire suppression.
(d)
Report— Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the congressional committees, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report describing—
(1)
the findings of the study required under subsection (b); and
(2)
any recommendations relating to those findings.

Sec. 205 Study on modernizing wildfire response technologies

(a)
In general— The Secretaries shall conduct a study on—
(1)
necessary improvements to radio communications systems and infrastructure during wildland fire or prescribed fire operations, including—
(A)
an assessment of the quality and reliability of existing radio infrastructure;
(B)
for any instance in which existing radio communications infrastructure has failed, an assessment of the impacts on forest management or wildfire response activities;
(C)
a comparison of existing options to improve on-the-ground communications; and
(D)
a cost analysis and estimated timeline to install the most feasible option identified under subparagraph (C);
(2)
real-time or near-real-time situational awareness tools for operational firefighters, including—
(A)
standards and requirements for such tools to ensure interoperability between Federal firefighting entities and applicable State, local, Tribal, or other partners;
(B)
any requirements for additional remote sensing and mapping capabilities to fully leverage such situational awareness tools; and
(C)
a cost comparison between commercially available systems and internally developed systems; and
(3)
wildland fire predictive modeling, including—
(A)
an analysis of the data required to reduce predictive error for existing or developing models;
(B)
an analysis of computing needs to more swiftly or accurately model wildland fire using existing or developing models;
(C)
the feasibility of using artificial intelligence for wildland fire modeling; and
(D)
existing or developing wildland fire predictive models that could assist with establishing safe conditions for igniting a prescribed fire.
(b)
Submission and public availability— Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall submit to the congressional committees and make publicly available the results of the study conducted under subsection (a).