ACRES Act

Accurately Counting Risk Elimination Solutions Act or the ACRES Act

This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of the Interior to submit accurate reports regarding hazardous fuels reduction activity.

Hazardous fuels reduction activity means any vegetation management activity to reduce the risk of wildfire but excludes the award of contracts to conduct hazardous fuels reduction activities.

Specifically, USDA and Interior must

• include in the materials submitted in support of the President's budget each fiscal year a report on the number of acres of federal land on which such activities were carried out during the preceding year, and
• implement standardized procedures for tracking data related to such activities.

The standardized procedures must include

• regular, standardized data reviews of the accuracy and timely input of data used to track hazardous fuels reduction activities;
• verification methods that validate whether such data accurately correlates to such activities;
• an analysis of the short- and long-term effectiveness of such activities on reducing the risk of wildfire; and
• for hazardous fuels reduction activities that occur partially within the wildland-urban interface, methods to distinguish which acres are located within and which located outside the wildland-urban interface.

The Government Accountability Office shall (1) conduct a study on this bill's implementation, and (2) submit a report to Congress with the results of the study.

The ACRES Act, also known as Bill 118 hr 1567, is a piece of legislation introduced in the US Congress that aims to address issues related to land conservation and preservation. The main goal of the bill is to increase the amount of land protected for conservation purposes, particularly in areas that are at risk of development or environmental degradation.

The ACRES Act proposes several key provisions to achieve this goal. One of the main components of the bill is the establishment of a grant program that would provide funding to states and local governments for the acquisition of land for conservation purposes. This funding would be used to purchase land that is important for wildlife habitat, water quality protection, and recreational opportunities.

Additionally, the ACRES Act includes provisions to incentivize private landowners to participate in conservation efforts. The bill proposes tax incentives for landowners who voluntarily agree to conserve their land, such as through conservation easements or other conservation agreements. This would help to increase the amount of land protected for conservation purposes without relying solely on government funding. Overall, the ACRES Act is aimed at increasing the amount of land protected for conservation purposes in the United States. By providing funding for land acquisition and incentivizing private landowners to participate in conservation efforts, the bill seeks to preserve important natural areas and wildlife habitats for future generations.