[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2039 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2039
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.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 11, 2025
Mr. Gallego introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
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.
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 ``Wildfire Risk Evaluation Act''.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) wildfire management is a complex, multi-jurisdictional
issue that requires a whole-of-government approach before,
during, and after a fire;
(2) wildfires spread quickly and may invoke various
Federal, State, Tribal, and local jurisdictions simultaneously;
(3) effective wildfire management requires interagency,
cross-boundary, strategic, and holistic solutions;
(4) relevant Federal, State, Tribal, and local governments
should be included in any planning, decision-making, or
response activities with respect to wildfire management;
(5) a purpose of a quadrennial fire review is--
(A) to forecast conditions that may present the
greatest challenges for wildland fire management
throughout the 20-year period immediately following
such review; and
(B) to inform the development of long-term,
strategic actions to address such challenges;
(6) the report of the Secretary of Agriculture and the
Secretary of the Interior entitled ``The National Strategy: the
Final Phase in 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 toward the 3
goals established in such report regarding--
(A) resilient landscapes;
(B) fire-adapted communities; and
(C) safe and effective wildfire response; and
(7) 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.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Qualified agencies.--The term ``qualified agencies''
means--
(A) with respect to the Secretary of Agriculture,
the Forest Service;
(B) with respect to the Secretary of the Interior,
the Department of the Interior;
(C) with respect to the Secretary of Homeland
Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and
the United States Fire Administration; and
(D) such other entities as the Secretaries
determine appropriate.
(2) Relevant committees.--The term ``relevant committees''
means--
(A) the Committees on Energy and Natural Resources,
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate;
and
(B) the Committees on Natural Resources, Homeland
Security, and Science, Space, and Technology of the
House of Representatives.
(3) Secretaries.--The term ``Secretaries'' means the
Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of the Interior, and
the Secretary of Homeland Security.
(b) Quadrennial Review.--The Secretaries, acting jointly through
the qualified agencies, shall conduct a quadrennial review of the
comprehensive wildfire environment in the United States that includes--
(1) 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
(2) an analysis of the intersection between wildfire and
public health, conducted in coordination with the Administrator
of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Secretary of
Health and Human Services, acting through the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
(c) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 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--
(1) the results of the reviews conducted under subsection
(b) and specifies the administrative actions and outcomes that
have occurred as a result of such reviews;
(2) a summary of--
(A) the challenges relating to wildfire that are
anticipated during the 20-year period immediately
following the report; and
(B) the most significant long-term wildland fire
management challenges;
(3) 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);
(4) an evaluation of any progress made toward--
(A) 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 in 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
(B) 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
(5) 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).
<all>