[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4584 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4584
To improve the Federal effort to reduce wildland fire risks, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 12, 2023
Ms. Lofgren (for herself and Ms. Bonamici) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and
Technology, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, 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
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To improve the Federal effort to reduce wildland fire risks, and for
other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``National Wildland Fire Risk
Reduction Program Act''.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT.
The President shall establish a National Wildland Fire Risk
Reduction Program with the purpose of achieving major measurable
reductions in the losses of life and property from wildland fires
through a coordinated Federal effort to--
(1) improve the assessment of fire environments and the
understanding and prediction of wildland fires, associated
smoke, and their impacts, including--
(A) at the wildland-urban interface;
(B) on communities, buildings and other
infrastructure;
(C) on ecosystem services; and
(D) social and economic impacts;
(2) develop and encourage the adoption of science-based and
cost-effective measures to enhance resilience to wildland fires
and prevent and mitigate negative impacts of wildland fires and
associated smoke; and
(3) improve the understanding and mitigation of the impacts
of climate change and variability on wildland fire risk,
frequency, and severity, and to inform paragraphs (1) and (2).
SEC. 3. PROGRAM ACTIVITIES.
The Program shall consist of the activities described under section
7, which shall be designed--
(1) to support research and development, including
interdisciplinary research, related to fire environments,
wildland fires, associated smoke, and their impacts, in
furtherance of a coordinated interagency effort to address
wildland fire risk reduction;
(2) to support data management and stewardship, the
development and coordination of data systems and computational
tools, and the creation of a centralized, integrated data
collaboration environment for Program agency data, to
accelerate the understanding of fire environments, wildland
fires, associated smoke, and their impacts, and the benefits of
wildland fire risk mitigation measures;
(3) to support the development of tools and technologies,
including decision support tools and risk and hazard maps, to
improve understanding, monitoring, prediction, and mitigation
of wildland fires, associated smoke, and their impacts;
(4) to support education and training to expand the number
of students and researchers in areas of study and research
related to wildland fires;
(5) to accelerate the translation of research related to
wildland fires and associated smoke into operations to reduce
risk to communities, buildings, other infrastructure, and
ecosystem services;
(6) to conduct communication and outreach regarding
wildland fire science and wildland fire risk mitigation, to
communities, energy utilities and operators of other critical
infrastructure, and other relevant stakeholders;
(7) to support research and development projects funded
under joint solicitations or through memoranda of understanding
between no fewer than two agencies participating in the
Program; and
(8) to disseminate, to the extent practicable, scientific
data and related products and services in formats meeting
shared standards to enhance the interoperability, usability,
and accessibility of Program Agency data, including data as
part of paragraph (2) in order to better meet the needs of
Program agencies, other Federal agencies, and relevant
stakeholders.
SEC. 4. INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COMMITTEE ON WILDLAND FIRE RISK
REDUCTION.
(a) Establishment.--Not later than 90 days after enactment of this
Act, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall
establish an Interagency Coordinating Committee on Wildland Fire Risk
Reduction (in this Act referred to as ``the Committee''), to be co-
chaired by the Director and the Director of the National Institute of
Standards and Technology.
(b) Membership.--In addition to the co-chairs, the Committee shall
be composed of--
(1) the Director of the National Science Foundation;
(2) the Administrator of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration;
(3) the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management
Agency;
(4) the United States Fire Administrator;
(5) the Chief of the Forest Service;
(6) the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration;
(7) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection
Agency;
(8) the Secretary of Energy;
(9) the Director of the Office of Science and Technology
Policy;
(10) the Director of the Office of Management and Budget;
(11) the Secretary of the Interior;
(12) the Director of United States Geological Survey;
(13) the Secretary of Health and Human Services;
(14) the Secretary of Defense;
(15) the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; and
(16) the head of any other Federal agency that the Director
considers appropriate.
(c) Meetings.--The Committee shall meet not less than twice a year
for the first two years and then not less than once a year at the call
of the Director.
(d) General Purpose and Duties.--The Committee shall oversee the
planning, management, and coordination of the Program, and solicit
stakeholder input on Program goals.
(e) Strategic Plan.--The Committee shall develop and submit to
Congress, not later than 1 year after enactment, and update every 4
years thereafter, a Strategic Plan for the Program that includes--
(1) prioritized goals for the Program, consistent with the
purposes of the Program as described in section 2;
(2) short-term, mid-term, and long-term research and
development objectives to achieve those goals;
(3) a description of the role of each Program agency in
achieving the prioritized goals;
(4) a description of how the Committee will foster
collaboration between and among the Program agencies and other
Federal agencies to help meet the goals of the Program;
(5) the methods by which progress toward the goals will be
assessed;
(6) an explanation of how the Program will foster the
translation of research into measurable reductions in the
losses of life, property, and ecosystem services from wildland
fires, including recommended outcomes and metrics for each
program goal and how operational Program agencies will
transition demonstrated technologies and research findings into
decision support tools and operations;
(7) a description of the research infrastructure, including
databases and computational tools, needed to accomplish the
research and development objectives outlined in paragraph (2),
a description of how research infrastructure in existence at
the time of the development of the plan will be used to meet
the objectives, an explanation of how new research
infrastructure will be developed to meet the objectives, and a
description of how the program will implement the integrated
data collaboration environment per section 3(2);
(8) a description of how Program agencies will collaborate
with stakeholders and take into account stakeholder needs and
recommendations in developing research and development
objectives;
(9) recommendations on the most effective means to
integrate the research results into wildland fire preparedness
and response actions across Federal, State, local, Tribal, and
territorial levels;
(10) guidance on how the Committee's recommendations are
best used in climate adaptation planning for Federal, State,
local, Tribal, and territorial entities;
(11) a nationally recognized, consensus-based definition of
wildland-urban interface and other key terms and definitions
relating to wildland fire, developed in consideration of the
meaning given such term in section 4(11) of the Federal Fire
Prevention and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2203(11)); and
(12) a description of opportunities to support new areas of
research and development and new types of collaborations that
seek to optimize building and landscape design across multiple
resilience goals, including resilience to wildland fires and
other natural hazards, energy efficiency, and environmental
sustainability.
(f) Coordination With Other Federal Efforts.--The Director shall
ensure that the activities of the Program are coordinated with other
relevant Federal initiatives as appropriate.
(g) National Academies Study.--The Committee shall assess the need
for a study, or a series of studies, to be conducted by the National
Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and how such a study,
or series of studies, could help identify research areas for further
study and inform research objectives, including further research into
the interactions between climate change and wildland fires. The
Committee shall brief the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation of the Senate on its assessment under this
subsection not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this
Act.
(h) Progress Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of
the transmission of the first Strategic Plan under subsection (e) to
Congress and not less frequently than once every two years thereafter,
the Committee shall submit to Congress a report on the progress of the
Program that includes--
(1) a description of the activities funded under the
Program, a description of how those activities align with the
prioritized goals and research objectives established in the
Strategic Plan, and the budgets, per agency, for these
activities; and
(2) the outcomes achieved by the Program for each of the
goals identified in the Strategic Plan.
SEC. 5. NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON WILDLAND FIRE RISK REDUCTION.
(a) In General.--The Director shall establish a National Advisory
Committee on Wildland Fire Risk Reduction, consisting of not fewer than
seven and not more than 15 members who are qualified to provide advice
on wildland fire risk reduction and represent related scientific,
architectural, and engineering disciplines, none of whom may be
employees of the Federal Government, including--
(1) representatives of research and academic institutions;
(2) standards development organizations;
(3) emergency management agencies;
(4) State, local, and Tribal governments;
(5) business communities, including the insurance industry;
and
(6) other representatives as designated by the Director.
(b) Assessment.--The Advisory Committee shall offer assessments and
recommendations on--
(1) trends and developments in the natural, engineering,
and social sciences and practices of wildland fire risk
mitigation;
(2) the priorities of the Program's Strategic Plan;
(3) the management, coordination, implementation, and
activities of the Program;
(4) the effectiveness of the Program in meeting its
purposes; and
(5) the need to revise the Program.
(c) Compensation.--The members of the Advisory Committee
established under this section shall serve without compensation.
(d) Reports.--At least every 2 years, the Advisory Committee shall
report to the Director on the assessments carried out under subsection
(b) and its recommendations for ways to improve the Program.
(e) Charter.--Notwithstanding section 14(b)(2) of the Federal
Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.), the Advisory Committee shall
not be required to file a charter subsequent to its initial charter,
filed under section 9(c) of such Act, before the termination date
specified in subsection (f) of this section.
(f) Termination.--The Advisory Committee shall terminate on
September 30, 2026.
(g) Conflict of Interest.--An Advisory Committee member shall
recuse himself from any Advisory Committee activity in which he has an
actual pecuniary interest.
SEC. 6. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE REVIEW.
Not later than three years after the date of the enactment of this
Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to
Congress a report that--
(1) evaluates the progress and performance of the Program
in establishing and making progress toward the goals of the
Program as set forth in this Act; and
(2) includes such recommendations as the Comptroller
General determines are appropriate to improve the Program.
SEC. 7. RESPONSIBILITIES OF PROGRAM AGENCIES.
(a) National Institute of Standards and Technology.--The
responsibilities of the Director of the National Institute of Standards
and Technology with respect to the Program are as follows:
(1) Research and development activities.--The Director of
the National Institute of Standards and Technology shall--
(A) carry out research on the impact of wildland
fires on communities, buildings, and other
infrastructure, including structure-to-structure
transmission of fire and spread within communities;
(B) carry out research on the generation of
firebrands from wildland fires and on methods and
materials to prevent or reduce firebrand ignition of
communities, buildings, and other infrastructure;
(C) carry out research on novel materials, systems,
structures, and construction designs to harden
structures, parcels, and communities to the impact of
wildland fires;
(D) carry out research on the impact of
environmental factors on wildland fire behavior,
including wind, terrain, and moisture; and
(E) support the development of performance-based
tools to mitigate the impact of wildland fires, and
work with appropriate groups to promote and assist in
the use of such tools, including through model building
codes and fire codes, standard test methods, voluntary
consensus standards, and construction and retrofit best
practices.
(2) Wildland-urban interface fire post-investigations.--The
Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology
shall--
(A) coordinate Federal post-wildland fire
investigations of fires at the wildland-urban
interface; and
(B) develop methodologies, in collaboration with
the Administrator of FEMA and in consultation with
relevant stakeholders, to characterize the impact of
wildland fires on communities and the impact of changes
in building and fire codes, including methodologies--
(i) for collecting, inventorying, and
analyzing information on the performance of
communities, buildings, and other
infrastructure in wildland fires; and
(ii) for improved collection of pertinent
information from different sources, including
first responders, the design and construction
industry, insurance companies, and building
officials.
(b) National Science Foundation.--As a part of the Program, the
Director of the National Science Foundation shall support--
(1) research, including large-scale convergent research, to
improve the understanding and prediction of wildland fire
risks, including the conditions that increase the likelihood of
a wildland fire, the behavior of wildland fires, and their
impacts on buildings, communities, infrastructure, ecosystems
and living systems;
(2) development and improvement of tools and technologies,
including databases and computational models, to enable and
accelerate the understanding and prediction of wildland fires
and their impacts;
(3) development of research infrastructure, as appropriate,
to enable and accelerate the understanding and prediction of
wildland fires and their impacts, including upgrades or
additions to the National Hazards Engineering Research
Infrastructure;
(4) research to improve the understanding of--
(A) the response to wildland fire risk and response
messages by individuals, communities, and policymakers;
(B) social and economic factors influencing the
implementation and adoption of wildland fire risk
reduction and response measures by individuals,
communities, and policymakers; and
(C) decision making and emergency response to
wildland fires;
(5) undergraduate and graduate research opportunities and
graduate and postdoctoral fellowships and traineeships in
fields of study relevant to wildland fires and their impacts;
and
(6) research to improve the understanding of the impacts of
climate change and climate variability on wildland fires,
including wildland fire risk, frequency, and severity, and
wildland fire prediction, mitigation, and resilience
strategies.
(c) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.--
(1) In general.--The Administrator of the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (in this subsection referred to
as the ``Administrator'') shall conduct research, observations,
modeling, forecasting, prediction, and historical analysis of
wildland fires to improve understanding of wildland fires, and
associated fire weather and smoke, for the protection of life
and property and for the enhancement of the national economy.
(2) Weather forecasting and decision support for wildland
fires.--The Administrator shall--
(A) develop and provide in consultation with the
relevant Federal Agencies, as the Administrator
determines appropriate, accurate, timely, and effective
warnings and forecasts of wildland fires and fire
weather events that endanger life and property, which
may include red flag warnings, operational fire weather
alerts, and any other warnings or alerts the
Administrator deems appropriate;
(B) provide stakeholders and the public with
impact-based decision support services, seasonal
climate predictions, air quality products, and smoke
forecasts; and
(C) provide on-site weather forecasts, seasonal
climate predictions, and other decision support to
wildland fire incident command posts, including by
deploying incident meteorologists for the duration of
an extreme event.
(3) Wildland fire data.--The Administrator shall contribute
to and support the centralized, integrated data collaboration
environment per section 3(2) and any other relevant Federal
data systems by ensuring--
(A) interoperability, usability, and accessibility
of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data
and tools related to wildland fires, associated smoke,
and their impacts;
(B) inclusion of historical wildland fire incident
and fire weather data, and identifying potential gaps
in such data; and
(C) the acquisition or collection of additional
data that is needed to advance wildland fire science.
(4) Wildland fire and fire weather surveillance and
observations.--The Administrator, in coordination with
Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration and in consultation with relevant stakeholders--
(A) shall leverage existing observations,
technologies and assets and develop or acquire new
technologies and data to sustain and enhance
environmental observations used for wildland fire
prediction and detection, fire weather and smoke
forecasting and monitoring, and post-wildland fire
recovery, with a focus on--
(i) collecting data for pre-ignition
analysis, such as drought, fuel and vegetation
conditions, and soil moisture, that will help
predict severe wildland fire conditions on
subseasonal to decadal timescales;
(ii) supporting identification and
classification of fire environments at the
smallest practical scale to determine
vulnerability to wildland fires and rapid
wildland fire growth;
(iii) detecting, observing, and monitoring
wildland fires and smoke;
(iv) supporting research on the interaction
of weather and wildland fire behavior; and
(v) supporting post-fire assessments
conducted by Program agencies and relevant
stakeholders;
(B) shall prioritize the ability to detect,
observe, and monitor wildland fire and smoke in its
requirements for its current and future observing
systems and commercial data purchases; and
(C) not later than 12 months after the date of
enactment of this Act--
(i) may offer to enter into contracts with
one or more entities to obtain additional
airborne and space-based data and observations
that may enhance or supplement the
understanding, monitoring, prediction, and
mitigation of wildland fire risks, and the
relevant Program activities under section 3;
and
(ii) in carrying out clause (i), shall
consult with private sector entities through an
advisory committee to identify needed tools and
data that can be best provided by NOAA
satellites and are most beneficial to wildfire
and smoke detection and monitoring.
(5) Fire weather testbed.--In collaboration with Program
agencies and other relevant stakeholders, the Administrator
shall establish a Fire Weather Testbed to evaluate physical and
social science, technology, and other research to develop fire
weather products and services for implementation by relevant
stakeholders.
(6) Wildland fire and fire weather research and
development.--The Administrator shall support a wildland fire
and smoke research and development program that includes both
physical and social science with the goals of--
(A) improving the understanding, prediction,
detection, forecasting, monitoring, and assessments of
wildland fires and associated fire weather and smoke;
(B) developing products and services to meet
stakeholder needs;
(C) transitioning physical and social science
research into operations;
(D) improving modeling and technology, including
coupled fire-atmosphere fire behavior modeling, in
consultation with relevant Federal agencies;
(E) better understanding of links between fire
weather events and subseasonal-to-climate impacts; and
(F) pursuing high-priority fire science research
needs applicable to the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration as identified by any other
relevant Federal program.
(7) Extramural research.--The Administrator shall
collaborate with and support the non-Federal wildland fire
research community, which includes institutions of higher
education, private entities, nongovernmental organizations, and
other relevant stakeholders, by making funds available through
competitive grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements. In
carrying out the program under this paragraph, the
Administrator, in collaboration with other relevant Federal
agencies, may establish one or more national centers for
prescribed fire and wildfire sciences that leverage Federal
research and development with university and nongovernmental
partnerships.
(8) High performance computing.--The Administrator, in
consultation with the Secretary of Energy, shall acquire high
performance computing technologies and supercomputing
technologies, leveraging existing resources, as practicable, to
conduct research and development activities, support research
to operations under this subsection, and host operational fire
and smoke forecast models.
(d) Federal Emergency Management Agency.--The Administrator of the
Federal Emergency Management Agency, acting through the United States
Fire Administration, shall--
(1) support--
(A) the development of community risk assessment
tools and effective mitigation techniques for
preventing and responding to wildland fires, including
at the wildland-urban interface;
(B) wildland and wildland-urban interface fire and
operational response-related data collection and
analysis;
(C) public outreach, education, and information
dissemination related to wildland fires and wildland
fire risk; and
(D) promotion of wildland and wildland-urban
interface fire preparedness and community risk
reduction, to include hardening the wildland-urban
interface through proper construction materials, land
use practices, sprinklers, assessment of State and
local emergency response capacity and capabilities, and
other tools and approaches as appropriate;
(2) in collaboration with the National Institute of
Standards and Technology, and other program agencies, as
appropriate, promote and assist in the implementation of
research results and promote fire-resistant buildings,
retrofit, and land use practices within the design and
construction industry, including architects, engineers,
contractors, builders, planners, code officials, and
inspectors;
(3) establish and operate a wildland fire preparedness and
mitigation technical assistance program to assist State, local,
Tribal and territorial governments in using wildland fire
mitigation strategies, including through the adoption and
implementation of wildland and wildland-urban interface fire
resistant codes, standards, and land use;
(4) incorporate wildland and wildland-urban interface fire
risk mitigation and loss avoidance data into the Agency's
existing risk, mitigation, and loss avoidance analyses;
(5) incorporate data on the adoption and implementation of
wildland and wildland-urban interface fire resistant codes and
standards into the Agency's hazard resistant code tracking
resources;
(6) translate new information and research findings into
best practices to improve firefighter, fire service, and allied
professions training and education in wildland fire response,
crew deployment, prevention, mitigation, resilience, and
firefighting;
(7) conduct outreach and information dissemination to fire
departments regarding best practices for wildland and wildland-
urban interface firefighting, training, and fireground
deployment;
(8) in collaboration with other relevant Program agencies
and stakeholders, develop a national level, interactive and
publicly accessible wildland fire hazard severity map that
includes community and parcel level data and that can readily
integrate with risk gradations within wildland and wildland-
urban interface fire resistant codes and standards; and
(9) develop resources regarding best practices for
establishing or enhancing peer-support programs within wildland
fire firefighting units.
(e) National Aeronautics and Space Administration.--The
responsibilities of the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (in this subsection referred to as the
``Administrator'') with respect to the Program are as follows:
(1) In general.--The Administrator shall, with respect to
the Program--
(A) support relevant basic and applied scientific
research and modeling;
(B) ensure the use in the Program of all relevant
National Aeronautics and Space Administration Earth
observations data for maximum utility;
(C) explore and apply novel tools and technologies
in the activities of the Program;
(D) support the translation of research to
operations, including to Program agencies and relevant
stakeholders;
(E) facilitate the communication of wildland fire
research, knowledge, and tools to relevant
stakeholders; and
(F) use commercial data where such data is
available and accessible through existing Federal
Government commercial contracts, agreements, or other
means, and purchase data that is deemed necessary based
on consultation with other Program agencies.
(2) Wildland fire research and applications.--The
Administrator shall support basic and applied wildland fire
research and modeling activities, including competitively
selected research, to--
(A) improve the understanding and prediction of
fire environments, wildland fires, associated smoke,
and their impacts;
(B) improve the understanding of the impacts of
climate change and variability on wildland fire risk,
frequency, and severity;
(C) characterize the pre-fire phase and fire-
inducing conditions, such as soil moisture and
vegetative fuel availability;
(D) characterize the active fire phase, such as
fire and smoke plume mapping, fire behavior and spread
modeling, and domestic and global fire activity;
(E) characterize the post-fire phase, such as
landscape changes, air quality, erosion, landslides,
and impacts on carbon distributions in forest biomass;
(F) contribute to advancing predictive wildland
fire models;
(G) address other relevant investigations and
measurements prioritized by the National Academies of
Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Decadal Survey on
Earth Science and Applications from Space;
(H) improve the translation of research knowledge
into actionable information;
(I) develop research and data products, including
maps, decision-support information, and tools, and
support related training as appropriate and
practicable;
(J) collaborate with other Program agencies and
relevant stakeholders, as appropriate, on joint
research and development projects, including research
grant solicitations and field campaigns; and
(K) transition research advances to operations,
including to Program agencies and relevant
stakeholders, as practicable.
(3) Wildland fire data systems and computational tools.--
The Administrator shall--
(A) identify, from the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration's Earth science data systems,
data, including combined data products and relevant
commercial data sets, that can contribute to improving
the understanding, monitoring, prediction, and
mitigation of wildland fires and their impacts,
including data related to fire weather, plume dynamics,
smoke and fire behavior, impacts of climate change and
variability, land and property burned, wildlife and
ecosystem destruction, among other areas;
(B) prioritize the dissemination of data identified
or obtained under this subparagraph to the widest
extent practicable to support relevant research and
operational stakeholders;
(C) consider opportunities to support the Program
under section 2 and the Program activities under
section 3 when planning and developing Earth
observation satellites, instruments, and airborne
measurement platforms;
(D) identify opportunities, in collaboration with
Program agencies and relevant stakeholders, to obtain
additional airborne and space-based data and
observations that may enhance or supplement the
understanding, monitoring, prediction, and mitigation
of wildland fire risks, and the relevant Program
activities under section 3, and consider such options
as commercial solutions, including commercial data
purchases, prize authority, academic partnerships, and
ground-based or space-based instruments, as practicable
and appropriate; and
(E) contribute to and support, to the maximum
extent practicable, the centralized, integrated data
collaboration environment per section 3(2) and any
other relevant interagency data systems, by collecting,
organizing, and integrating the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration's scientific data, data
systems, and computational tools related to wildland
fires, associated smoke, and their impacts, and by
enhancing the interoperability, useability, and
accessibility of National Aeronautics and Space
Administration's scientific data, data systems, and
computational tools, including--
(i) observations and available real-time
and near-real-time measurements;
(ii) derived science and data products,
such as fuel conditions, risk and spread maps,
and data products to represent the wildland-
urban interface;
(iii) relevant historical and archival
observations, measurements, and derived science
and data products; and
(iv) other relevant decision support and
information tools.
(4) Novel tools for active wildland fire monitoring and
risk mitigation.--The Administrator, in collaboration with
other Program agencies and relevant stakeholders shall apply
novel tools and technologies to support active wildland fire
research, monitoring, mitigation, and risk reduction, as
practicable and appropriate. In particular, the Administrator
shall:
(A) Establish, in collaboration with the heads of
other relevant Federal agencies, a program to develop
and demonstrate a unified concept of operations for the
safe and effective deployment of diverse air
capabilities in active wildland fire monitoring,
mitigation, and risk reduction. The objectives of the
Program shall be to--
(i) develop and demonstrate a wildland fire
airspace operations system accounting for
piloted aircraft, uncrewed aerial systems, and
other new and emerging capabilities such as
autonomous and high-altitude assets;
(ii) develop an interoperable
communications strategy;
(iii) develop a roadmap for the on-ramping
of new technologies, capabilities, or entities;
(iv) identify additional development,
testing, and demonstration that would be
required to expand the scale of operations;
(v) identify actions that would be required
to transition the unified concept of operations
in subparagraph (A) into ongoing, operational
use; and
(vi) other objectives, as deemed
appropriate by the Administrator.
(B) Develop and demonstrate affordable and
deployable sensing technologies, in consultation with
other Program agencies and relevant stakeholders, to
improve the monitoring of fire fuel and active wildland
fires, wildland fire behavior models and forecast,
mapping efforts, and the prediction and mitigation of
wildland fires and their impacts. The Administrator
shall--
(i) test and demonstrate technologies such
as infrared, microwave, and active sensors
suitable for deployment on spacecraft,
aircraft, uncrewed aerial systems, and ground-
based and in situ platforms, as appropriate and
practicable;
(ii) develop and demonstrate affordable and
deployable sensing technologies that can be
transitioned to operations for collection of
near-real-time localized measurements;
(iii) develop and demonstrate near-real-
time data processing, availability,
interoperability, and visualization, as
practicable;
(iv) identify opportunities and actions
required, in collaboration with Program
agencies and relevant stakeholders, to
transition relevant technologies, techniques,
and data to science operations, upon successful
demonstration of the feasibility and scientific
utility of the sensors and data;
(v) transition demonstrated technologies,
techniques, and data into ongoing, operational
use, including to Program agencies and relevant
stakeholders;
(vi) prioritize and facilitate, to the
greatest extent practicable, the dissemination
of these science data to operations, including
to Program agencies and relevant stakeholders;
and
(vii) consider opportunities for potential
partnerships, including commercial data
purchases, among industry, government, academic
institutions, and non-profit organizations and
other relevant stakeholders in carrying out
clauses (i) through (vi), as appropriate and
practicable.
(f) Environmental Protection Agency.--The Administrator of the
Environmental Protection Agency shall support environmental research
and development activities to--
(1) improve the understanding of--
(A) wildland fire smoke plume characteristics,
chemical transformation, chemical composition, and
transport;
(B) wildland fire and smoke impacts to contaminant
containment and remediation;
(C) the contribution of wildland fire emissions to
climate forcing emissions;
(D) differences between the impacts of prescribed
fires compared to other wildland fires on communities
and air and water quality; and
(E) climate change and variability on wildland
fires and smoke plumes, including on smoke exposure;
(2) develop and improve tools, sensors, and technologies
including databases and computational models, to accelerate the
understanding, monitoring, and prediction of wildland fires and
smoke exposure;
(3) better integrate observational data into wildland fire
and smoke characterization models to improve modeling at finer
temporal and spatial resolution; and
(4) improve communication of wildland fire and smoke risk
reduction strategies to the public in coordination with
relevant stakeholders and other Federal agencies.
(g) Department of Energy.--The Secretary of Energy shall carry out
research and development activities to--
(1) create tools, techniques, and technologies for--
(A) withstanding and addressing the current and
projected impact of wildland fires on energy sector
infrastructure;
(B) providing real-time or near-time awareness of
the risks posed by wildland fires to the operation of
energy infrastructure in affected and potentially
affected areas, including by leveraging the
Department's high-performance computing capabilities
and climate and ecosystem models;
(C) enabling early detection of, and assessment of
competing technologies and strategies for addressing,
malfunctioning electrical equipment on the transmission
and distribution grid, including spark ignition causing
wildland fires;
(D) assisting with the planning, safe execution of,
and safe and timely restoration of power after
emergency power shut offs following wildland fires
started by grid infrastructure;
(E) improving electric grid and energy sector
safety and resilience in the event of multiple
simultaneous or co-located weather or climate events
leading to extreme conditions, such as extreme wind,
wildland fires, extreme cold, and extreme heat; and
(F) improving coordination between utilities and
relevant Federal agencies to enable communication,
information-sharing, and situational awareness in the
event of wildland fires that impact the electric grid;
(2) coordinate data and computational resources across
relevant entities to improve our understanding of wildland
fires and to promote resilience and wildland fire prevention in
the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance
of transmission infrastructure;
(3) consider optimal building energy efficiency and
weatherization practices, as practicable, in wildland fire
research;
(4) utilize the Department of Energy's National Laboratory
capabilities, including user facilities, earth and
environmental systems modeling resources, and high-performance
computing and data analytics capabilities, to improve the
accuracy of efforts to understand and predict wildland fire
behavior and occurrence and mitigate wildland fire impacts; and
(5) foster engagement between the National Laboratories and
practitioners, researchers, policy organizations, utilities,
and other entities the Secretary determines to be appropriate
to understand the economic and social implications of power
disruptions caused by wildland fires, particularly within
disadvantaged communities and regions vulnerable to wildland
fires, including rural areas.
SEC. 8. BUDGET ACTIVITIES.
The Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology,
the Director of the National Science Foundation, the Administrator of
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Director of
the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Administrator of the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Administrator of the
Environmental Protection Agency, and the Secretary of Energy shall each
include in the annual budget request to Congress of each respective
agency a description of the projected activities of such agency under
the Program for the fiscal year covered by the budget request and an
estimate of the amount such agency plans to spend on such activities
for the relevant fiscal year.
SEC. 9. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of
the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
(2) Program.--The term ``Program'' means the Program
established under section 2.
(3) Program agencies.--The term ``Program agencies'' means
any Federal agency with responsibilities under the Program.
(4) Stakeholders.--The term ``stakeholders'' means any
public or private organization engaged in addressing wildland
fires, associated smoke, and their impacts, and shall include
relevant Federal agencies, States, territories, Tribes, State
and local governments, businesses, not-for-profit
organizations, including national standards and building code
organizations, firefighting departments and organizations,
academia, and other users of wildland fire data products.
(5) Wildland fire.--The term ``wildland fire'' means any
non-structure fire that occurs in vegetation or natural fuels
and includes wildfires and prescribed fires.
(6) Fire environment.--The term ``fire environment'' means
surrounding conditions, influences, and modifying forces of
topography, fuel, and weather that determine fire behavior.
SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) National Institute of Standards and Technology.--There are
authorized to be appropriated to the National Institute of Standards
and Technology for carrying out this Act--
(1) $35,800,000 for fiscal year 2024;
(2) $36,100,000 for fiscal year 2025;
(3) $36,400,000 for fiscal year 2026;
(4) $36,700,000 for fiscal year 2027; and
(5) $37,100,000 for fiscal year 2028.
(b) National Science Foundation.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the National Science Foundation for carrying out this
Act--
(1) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2024;
(2) $53,000,000 for fiscal year 2025;
(3) $56,200,000 for fiscal year 2026;
(4) $59,600,000 for fiscal year 2027; and
(5) $63,100,000 for fiscal year 2028.
(c) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.--There are
authorized to be appropriated to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration for carrying out this Act--
(1) $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2024;
(2) $215,000,000 for fiscal year 2025;
(3) $220,000,000 for fiscal year 2026;
(4) $230,000,000 for fiscal year 2027; and
(5) $250,000,000 for fiscal year 2028.
(d) National Aeronautics and Space Administration.--There are
authorized to be appropriated to the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration for carrying out this Act--
(1) $95,000,000 for fiscal year 2024;
(2) $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2025;
(3) $110,000,000 for fiscal year 2026;
(4) $110,000,000 for fiscal year 2027; and
(5) $110,000,000 for fiscal year 2028.
(e) Environmental Protection Agency.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Environmental Protection Agency for carrying out
this Act--
(1) $11,000,000 for fiscal year 2024;
(2) $11,700,000 for fiscal year 2025;
(3) $12,400,000 for fiscal year 2026;
(4) $13,100,000 for fiscal year 2027; and
(5) $13,900,000 for fiscal year 2028.
(f) Federal Emergency Management Agency.--There are authorized to
be appropriated to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for carrying
out this Act--
(1) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2024;
(2) $6,400,000 for fiscal year 2025;
(3) $6,700,000 for fiscal year 2026;
(4) $7,100,000 for fiscal year 2027; and
(5) $7,600,000 for fiscal year 2028.
<all>