[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2492 Referred in Senate (RFS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2492
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 14, 2025
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture,
Nutrition, and Forestry
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the
Interior to permit removal of trees around electrical lines on National
Forest System lands and Bureau of Land Management lands, respectively,
without conducting a timber sale, 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 ``Fire Safe Electrical Corridors Act
of 2025''.
SEC. 2. PERMITS AND AGREEMENTS WITH ELECTRICAL UTILITIES.
(a) In General.--In any special use permit or easement on covered
Federal lands provided to an electrical utility, the Secretary
concerned may provide permission to cut and remove trees or other
vegetation from within the vicinity of distribution lines or
transmission lines without requiring a separate timber sale, if that
cutting and removal is consistent with--
(1) any applicable land and resource management plan; and
(2) other applicable environmental laws (including
regulations).
(b) Use of Proceeds.--A special use permit or easement that
includes permission for cutting and removal described in subsection (a)
shall include a requirement that, if the applicable electrical utility
sells any portion of the material removed under the permit or easement,
the electrical utility shall provide to the Secretary concerned any
proceeds received from the sale, less any transportation costs incurred
in the sale.
(c) Effect.--Nothing in subsection (b) shall require the sale of
any material removed under a permit or easement that includes
permission for cutting and removal described in subsection (a).
(d) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Covered federal lands.--The term ``covered Federal
lands'' means--
(A) National Forest System lands; and
(B) lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
(2) Secretary concerned.--The term ``Secretary concerned''
means--
(A) with respect to National Forest System lands,
the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief
of the Forest Service; and
(B) with respect to lands managed by the Bureau of
Land Management, the Secretary of the Interior, acting
through the Director of the Bureau of Land Management.
Passed the House of Representatives May 13, 2025.
Attest:
KEVIN F. MCCUMBER,
Clerk.