I 112th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 6519 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 21, 2012 Mr. Hunter (for himself, Mr. Bilbray, Mr. Dreier, Mr. Campbell, and Mrs. Bono Mack) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, 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 provide an expedited permit process to authorize private landowners to conduct limited vegetation removal activities on National Forest System land or Bureau of Land Management land adjacent to their private property to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire that would threaten residential structures on the private property, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Defend Your Home Against Wildfire Act.

2.

Private landowner vegetation removal activities on National Forest System land and Bureau of Land Management land adjacent to private property

(a)

Definitions

In this section: (1)

Eligible private property

The term eligible private property means a parcel of private property that— (A)contains at least one residential structure; and (B)shares a boundary with adjacent Federal land. (2)

Federal land

(A)

Covered land

The term Federal land means the following: (i)National Forest System land (as such term is defined in section 11(a) of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1609(a))). (ii)Public lands (as such term is defined in section 103 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702)). (B)

Excluded land

The term does not include a unit of the National Wilderness Preservation System unless a residential structure on the adjacent eligible private property was constructed before the date of the designation of the unit. (3)

Secretary concerned

The term Secretary concerned means— (A)the Secretary of Agriculture, in the case of National Forest System land; and (B)the Secretary of the Interior, in the case of public lands. (4)

Vegetation removal permit

The term vegetation removal permit means a permit issued pursuant to the expedited process required by subsection (b) authorizing the owner of eligible private property to remove vegetation on Federal land adjacent to the eligible private property. (b)

Expedited permit process required

The Secretary concerned shall establish a process for the expedited consideration of a permit application submitted by the owner of eligible private property to remove vegetation on Federal land adjacent to the eligible private property to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire that would threaten a residential structure on the private property. (c)

Deadline for consideration; environmental compliance

The final decision on an application for a vegetation removal permit shall be made not later than 14 days after the Secretary concerned receives the application. Consideration of the application for a vegetation removal permit, approval or denial of the permit, and private landowner vegetation removal activities conducted pursuant to the permit are not a major Federal action for purposes of section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)). (d)

Area scope of permit

A vegetation removal permit may not authorize vegetation removal activities by the private landowner on Federal land more than 100 feet beyond the boundary or boundaries shared by the Federal land and the eligible private property. (e)

Cost assistance

The Secretary concerned may make a grant to the recipient of a vegetation removal permit to help cover a portion of the costs incurred by the private landowner to conduct vegetation removal activities on Federal land pursuant to the permit. The amount of the grant may not exceed 25 percent of the total amount of the cost to conduct the vegetation removal activities.