[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 731 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 731

      To exempt hazardous fuel reduction activities from certain 
            environmental requirements for a 10-year period.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 24, 2025

   Mr. Issa (for himself, Mr. Bacon, and Mr. LaMalfa) introduced the 
    following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 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 exempt hazardous fuel reduction activities from certain 
            environmental requirements for a 10-year period.

    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 ``Green Tape Elimination Act of 
2025''.

SEC. 2. EXEMPTION OF HAZARDOUS FUEL REDUCTION ACTIVITIES FROM CERTAIN 
              ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) In General.--During the 10-year period beginning on the date of 
the enactment of this section, a hazardous fuel reduction activity 
carried out on Federal land--
            (1) shall not be considered a major Federal action for the 
        purposes of section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
        Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)); and
            (2) may be carried out without regard to the provisions of 
        law specified in subsection (b).
    (b) Provisions of Law Specified.--The provisions of law specified 
in this subsection are all Federal laws, regulations, and legal 
requirements of, deriving from, or related to the subject of the 
following laws:
            (1) The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et 
        seq.).
            (2) Division A of subtitle III of title 54, United States 
        Code (commonly referred to as the ``National Historic 
        Preservation Act'').
            (3) The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703 et seq.).
            (4) The Migratory Bird Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 715 et 
        seq.).
    (c) Clean Air Act Amendment.--Section 319 of the Clean Air Act (42 
U.S.C. 7619) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(c) Certain Air Quality Monitoring Data Excluded.--In the event a 
hazardous fuel reduction activity (as that term is defined in section 
2(d) of the Green Tape Elimination Act of 2025) is carried out that the 
Administrator determines has a significant impact on air quality, the 
Administrator shall exclude air quality monitoring data that is 
directly due to such hazardous fuel reduction activity from use in 
determinations by the Administrator with respect to exceedances or 
violations of the national ambient air quality standard for any air 
pollutant.''.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Hazardous fuel.--The term ``hazardous fuel'' means any 
        vegetative material that is susceptible to burning, including--
                    (A) trees;
                    (B) grasses;
                    (C) shrubs;
                    (D) sagebrush;
                    (E) chaparral; and
                    (F) any dead vegetative material on or near the 
                ground.
            (2) Hazardous fuel reduction activity.--The term 
        ``hazardous fuel reduction activity'' means an activity the 
        purpose of which is--
                    (A) the installation of--
                            (i) a natural or manmade change in fuel 
                        characteristics that affects fire behavior such 
                        that a fire can be more readily controlled 
                        (commonly known as a ``fuel break''); or
                            (ii) a natural or constructed barrier used 
                        to stop or check a fire or to provide a control 
                        line from which to work to stop or check a fire 
                        (commonly known as a ``firebreak''); or
                    (B) to reduce hazardous fuels, including--
                            (i) prescribed fire;
                            (ii) wildland fire use; and
                            (iii) the use of mechanical methods such as 
                        crushing, tractor and hand piling, thinning, 
                        pruning, cutting, or otherwise removing 
                        hazardous fuels.
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