Wildfire Emergency Act of 2025

Hozzl · 2025-07-18T11:03:17Z

Explore the details of Senate Bill 350 Wildfire Emergency Act of 2025 currently in Congress. Get insights into its purpose, current status, sponsors, and potential impact on Public Lands and Natural Resources. Stay informed on legislative developments.

7/18/2025, 11:03 AM

Summary of Bill S 350

Bill 119 s 350, also known as the "Landscape-Scale Forest Restoration Act," is a proposed piece of legislation that aims to address the issue of wildfires and increase community resilience in the United States. The bill directs the Secretary of Agriculture to choose and carry out large-scale forest restoration projects in order to improve the health and resilience of forests.

The main goal of the bill is to assist communities in reducing the risk of wildfires by implementing strategic forest management practices. This includes activities such as thinning overgrown forests, removing hazardous fuels, and restoring natural fire regimes. By taking these actions, the bill aims to create healthier forests that are better able to withstand and recover from wildfires.

In addition to wildfire prevention, the bill also seeks to enhance the overall health and biodiversity of forests. By restoring forests to their natural state, the bill aims to improve habitat for wildlife, protect water quality, and promote sustainable forest management practices. Overall, Bill 119 s 350 is focused on promoting landscape-scale forest restoration projects that will benefit both the environment and local communities. By implementing these projects, the bill aims to increase the resilience of forests to wildfires and create healthier, more sustainable ecosystems.

Congressional Summary of S 350

Wildfire Emergency Act of 2025

This bill establishes additional support for forest restoration, the power needs of critical facilities (e.g., hospitals) during extreme weather events, and wildfire mitigation and management.

The bill directs the Forest Service to conduct a 10-year pilot program to carry out up to 20 conservation finance projects to protect, restore, or improve National Forest System land. Such conservation finance projects must (1) leverage other federal or nonfederal investments in addition to funds provided by the Forest Service; and (2) use loaned capital from an investor to cover up-front project costs, with the loaned capital repaid over time by conservation finance project beneficiaries.

The Department of Energy (DOE) must establish a program to improve the energy resilience and energy efficiency of critical facilities (e.g., hospitals).

The bill expands DOE's Weatherization Assistance Program to include support for the use of fire-resistant materials and to increase the amount of financial assistance that may be provided to households for increasing the energy efficiency of their homes.

The bill directs the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior to take certain actions related to detecting and monitoring wildfires.

The Forest Service and Interior must also establish one or more centers in western states to train individuals in methods relevant to the mitigation of wildfire risk.

Additionally, the Forest Service must establish a grant program to support workforce development in forestry and fire management.

Finally, the Forest Service may issue grants to increase community capacity for certain land stewardship activities.

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Current Status of Bill S 350

Bill S 350 is currently in the status of Bill Introduced since January 30, 2025. Bill S 350 was introduced during Congress 119 and was introduced to the Senate on January 30, 2025. Bill S 350's most recent activity was Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. as of July 17, 2025

Bipartisan Support of Bill S 350

Total Number of Sponsors

Democrat Sponsors

Republican Sponsors

Unaffiliated Sponsors

Total Number of Cosponsors

Democrat Cosponsors

Republican Cosponsors

Unaffiliated Cosponsors

Policy Area and Potential Impact of Bill S 350

Primary Policy Focus

Public Lands and Natural Resources

Potential Impact Areas

- Advisory bodies

- Air quality

- Alternative and renewable resources

- Aquatic ecology

- Climate change and greenhouse gases

- Congressional oversight

- Correctional facilities and imprisonment

- Disaster relief and insurance

- Ecology

- Economic development

- Educational facilities and institutions

- Educational guidance

- Electric power generation and transmission

- Elementary and secondary education

- Employment and training programs

- Energy efficiency and conservation

- Energy storage, supplies, demand

- Environmental assessment, monitoring, research

- Environmental education

- Executive agency funding and structure

- Fires

- First responders and emergency personnel

- Forests, forestry, trees

- Government information and archives

- Health facilities and institutions

- Infrastructure development

- Land use and conservation

- Military facilities and property

- Poverty and welfare assistance

- Public contracts and procurement

- Public utilities and utility rates

- Public-private cooperation

- State and local government operations

- Technology transfer and commercialization

- Vocational and technical education

- Water use and supply

Alternate Title(s) of Bill S 350

A bill to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to select and implement landscape-scale forest restoration projects, to assist communities in increasing their resilience to wildfire, and for other purposes.