[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3395 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3395

              To require limitations on prescribed burns.


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                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 27, 2016

Mr. Thune (for himself and Ms. Heitkamp) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, 
                        Nutrition, and Forestry

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                                 A BILL


 
              To require limitations on prescribed burns.

    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 ``Prescribed Burn Approval Act of 
2016''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) National fire danger rating system.--The term 
        ``national fire danger rating system'' means the national 
        system used to provide a measure of fire danger according to a 
        range of low to moderate to high to very high to extreme.
            (2) Prescribed burn.--The term ``prescribed burn'' means a 
        planned fire intentionally ignited.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service.

SEC. 3. LIMITATIONS ON PRESCRIBED BURNS.

    (a) In General.--Except as provided in subsection (b), the 
Secretary shall not authorize a prescribed burn on Forest Service land 
if, for the county or contiguous county in which the land is located, 
the national fire danger rating system indicates an extreme fire danger 
level.
    (b) Exception.--The Secretary may authorize a prescribed burn under 
a condition described in subsection (a) if the Secretary coordinates 
with the applicable State government and local fire officials.
    (c) Report.--At the end of each fiscal year, the Secretary shall 
submit to Congress a report describing--
            (1) the number and locations of prescribed burns during 
        that fiscal year; and
            (2) each prescribed burn during that fiscal year that was 
        authorized by the Secretary pursuant to subsection (b).
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