[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1764 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1764
To improve Federal activities relating to wildfires, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 31 (legislative day, May 30), 2023
Ms. Cortez Masto introduced the following bill; which was read twice
and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To improve Federal activities relating to wildfires, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Western Wildfire
Support Act of 2023''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as
follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Definitions.
TITLE I--PREPARATION
Sec. 101. Firefighting accounts.
Sec. 102. Reimbursement for wildfires caused by military training.
Sec. 103. Strategic wildland fire management planning.
Sec. 104. Accounts to assist communities in planning and preparing for
wildfires.
Sec. 105. Community support during disaster response.
TITLE II--WILDFIRE DETECTION AND SUPPRESSION SUPPORT
Sec. 201. Wildfire detection equipment.
Sec. 202. Grant program for slip-on tank units.
Sec. 203. Assistance to States for operation of air tankers.
Sec. 204. Research and development of unmanned aircraft system fire
applications.
Sec. 205. Study on effects of drone incursions on wildfire suppression.
Sec. 206. Study on wildfire detection equipment and integration of
artificial intelligence technologies.
TITLE III--POST-FIRE RECOVERY SUPPORT
Sec. 301. Funding for online guides for post-fire assistance.
Sec. 302. Long-Term Burned Area Recovery account.
Sec. 303. Prize for wildfire-related invasive species reduction.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Congressional committees.--The term ``congressional
committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Natural Resources and the
Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives.
(2) Federal land.--The term ``Federal land'' means--
(A) public lands (as defined in section 103 of the
Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43
U.S.C. 1702));
(B) units of the National Park System;
(C) units of the National Wildlife Refuge System;
(D) land held in trust by the United States for the
benefit of Indian Tribes or members of an Indian Tribe;
and
(E) land in the National Forest System.
(3) National forest system.--
(A) In general.--The term ``National Forest
System'' has the meaning given the term in section
11(a) of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources
Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1609(a)).
(B) Exclusion.--The term ``National Forest System''
does not include--
(i) the national grasslands and land
utilization projects administered under title
III of the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act (7
U.S.C. 1010 et seq.); or
(ii) National Forest System land east of
the 100th meridian.
(4) Secretaries.--The term ``Secretaries'' means--
(A) the Secretary of the Interior; and
(B) the Secretary of Agriculture.
(5) Secretary concerned.--The term ``Secretary concerned''
means--
(A) the Secretary of the Interior, in the case of
Federal land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of
the Interior; and
(B) the Secretary of Agriculture, in the case of
Federal land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of
Agriculture.
TITLE I--PREPARATION
SEC. 101. FIREFIGHTING ACCOUNTS.
(a) Establishment of Accounts.--There are established in the
Treasury of the United States the following accounts:
(1) The Firefighting Operations account for the Department
of Agriculture.
(2) The Firefighting Operations account for the Department
of the Interior.
(b) Budget Activities Within Accounts.--The following activities
shall be specified for funding within each Firefighting Operations
account established by subsection (a):
(1) Ground-based firefighting operations.
(2) Aircraft use in firefighting operations.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--
(1) Ground-based firefighting operations.--
(A) Department of agriculture.--There is authorized
to be appropriated for fiscal year 2024 and each fiscal
year thereafter to the account established by
subsection (a)(1) not more than $3,000,000,000 for
ground-based firefighting operations.
(B) Department of the interior.--There is
authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 2024 and
each fiscal year thereafter to the account established
by subsection (a)(2) not more than $1,000,000,000 for
ground-based firefighting operations.
(2) Aircraft use in firefighting operations.--There is
authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 2024 and each
fiscal year thereafter to the accounts established by
subsection (a), a total amount of not more than $500,000,000
for aircraft use in firefighting operations.
(d) Presidential Budget Requests.--For fiscal year 2025 and each
fiscal year thereafter, each Secretary concerned shall submit through
the budget request of the President and in accordance with subsection
(c), a request for amounts in the Wildland Fire Management
appropriation account of the Secretary concerned to carry out the
activities described in subsection (e).
(e) Authorized Activities.--
(1) In general.--The Secretaries shall use amounts provided
to the respective accounts established under subsection (a) as
follows:
(A) The Secretary of Agriculture shall use amounts
appropriated under subsection (c)(1)(A) to carry out
management activities for active wildfires through the
Forest Service, except that none of the amounts may be
used for the operation of aircraft.
(B) The Secretary of the Interior shall use amounts
appropriated under subsection (c)(1)(B) to carry out
management activities for active wildfires, except that
none of the amounts may be used for the operation of
aircraft.
(C) The Secretary concerned shall use amounts
appropriated under subsection (c)(2) to acquire, by
contract or purchase, and use aircraft, including
unmanned aerial systems, for operations relating to
wildland fires.
(2) Limitation.--The Secretary concerned shall not use to
carry out any activity authorized by paragraph (1)(C) amounts
appropriated to accounts of the Secretary concerned other than
amounts in the accounts established by subsection (a) specified
for activities described in subsection (b)(2).
(f) Accounting Reports.--
(1) In general.--Each Secretary concerned shall submit to
the congressional committees monthly accounting reports
regarding the amounts that have been obligated and expended
under this section during the preceding month of the applicable
fiscal year.
(2) Inclusions.--Each report under paragraph (1) shall
include a description of, with respect to the period covered by
the report--
(A) Federal ground-based equipment costs;
(B) Federal aircraft use costs;
(C) Federal personnel costs;
(D) on-incident and off-incident support costs; and
(E) funding allocated from the Wildland Fire
Management account of the Secretary concerned to pay
for administrative costs.
(3) Requirements.--Each report under paragraph (1) shall be
prepared in accordance with applicable national fire plan
reporting procedures.
SEC. 102. REIMBURSEMENT FOR WILDFIRES CAUSED BY MILITARY TRAINING.
(a) Reimbursement Required.--The Secretary of Defense shall, on
application by a State or Federal agency, reimburse the State or
Federal agency for the reasonable costs of the State or Federal agency
for services provided in connection with fire suppression as a result
of a fire caused by military training or other actions carried out by
the Armed Forces or employees of the Department of Defense.
(b) Limitation.--Services reimbursable under subsection (a) shall
be limited to services proximately related to the fire for which
reimbursement is sought.
(c) Application.--Each application from a State or Federal agency
for reimbursement for costs under subsection (a) shall provide an
itemized request of the services covered by the application, including
the costs of the services.
(d) Funds.--Reimbursements under subsection (a) shall be made from
amounts authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Defense for
operation and maintenance.
SEC. 103. STRATEGIC WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT PLANNING.
(a) In General.--Not later than September 30, 2026, the Secretary
concerned shall, in accordance with this section, establish a series of
spatial fire management plans.
(b) Use of Existing Plans.--To comply with this section, the
Secretary concerned may use a fire management plan in existence on the
date of enactment of this Act.
(c) Updates.--To be valid, a spatial fire management plan
established under this section shall not be in use for longer than the
10-year period beginning on the date on which the plan is established.
(d) Sub-Unit Plans.--The Secretary concerned shall establish a
spatial fire management plan for each unit of Federal land with more
than 10 acres of burnable vegetation under the jurisdiction of the
Secretary concerned.
(e) Contents.--For each spatial fire management plan established
under this section, the Secretary concerned shall--
(1) base the plans on a landscape-scale risk assessment
that includes--
(A) risks to firefighters;
(B) risks to communities;
(C) risks to highly valuable resources; and
(D) other relevant considerations determined by the
Secretary concerned;
(2) include direction, represented in spatial form, from
land management plans and resource management plans;
(3) in coordination with States, delineate potential
wildland fire operational delineations that--
(A) identify potential control locations; and
(B) specify the places in which firefighters will
not be sent because of the presence of unacceptable
risk, including areas determined by the Secretary
concerned as--
(i) exceeding a certain slope;
(ii) containing too high of a volume of
hazardous fuels, under certain weather
conditions; or
(iii) containing other known hazards;
(4) include a determination of average severe fire weather
for the plan area;
(5) include prefire planning provisions;
(6) include a plan for postfire activities that--
(A) would better enable a Burned Area Emergency
Response Team working on a large fire incident to
address emergency stabilization and erosion quickly;
and
(B) specifies ways in which the Burned Area
Emergency Response Team would seek to prevent the
proliferation of invasive species in working on the
large fire incident; and
(7) include, at a minimum, any other requirement determined
to be necessary by the Secretary concerned.
(f) Consistency With Management Plans.--The spatial fire management
plans established under this section shall be consistent with the fire
management objectives and land management objectives in the applicable
land management plan or resource management plan.
(g) Revisions to Land Management Plans and Resource Management
Plans.--A revision to a land management plan or resource management
plan shall consider fire ecology and fire management in a manner that
facilitates the issuance of direction for an incident response.
(h) Engagement During Land Management Planning.--A supervisory
employee of the Department of the Interior or the Department of
Agriculture that is funded through a Firefighting Operations account
established under section 101 shall participate directly in the
creation or revision of an applicable land management plan or resource
management plan to incorporate an assessment, protocol, or plan
developed under this Act into the planning process.
SEC. 104. ACCOUNTS TO ASSIST COMMUNITIES IN PLANNING AND PREPARING FOR
WILDFIRES.
(a) Establishment of Accounts.--There are established in the
Treasury of the United States the following accounts:
(1) The Community-Supported Land-Use Planning Assistance
account for the Department of Agriculture.
(2) The Community-Supported Land-Use Planning Assistance
account for the Department of the Interior.
(b) Budget Activities Within Accounts.--The following activities
shall be specified for funding within each Community-Supported Land-Use
Planning Assistance account established by subsection (a):
(1) The Firewise Program operated by the National Fire
Protection Association.
(2) Community wildfire protection programs.
(3) The Fire-Adapted Communities Learning Network.
(4) Vegetation management by communities.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated for fiscal year 2024 and each fiscal year thereafter for
the accounts established by subsection (a) such sums as are necessary
to carry out this section, not to exceed $200,000,000.
(d) Presidential Budget Requests.--For fiscal year 2025 and each
fiscal year thereafter, each Secretary concerned shall submit through
the budget request of the President and in accordance with subsection
(c), a request for amounts in the Wildland Fire Management
appropriation account of the Secretary concerned to carry out the
activities described in subsection (b).
(e) Authorized Activities.--The Secretary concerned shall use
amounts in the accounts established by subsection (a) as follows:
(1) With respect to amounts appropriated for the activity
described in subsection (b)(1), the Secretary concerned may--
(A) cosponsor the Firewise Program; and
(B) support the expansion of the Firewise
Communities/USA Recognition Program to additional at-
risk communities.
(2) With respect to amounts appropriated for the activity
described in subsection (b)(2), the Secretary concerned may
provide assistance to at-risk communities to establish and
revise--
(A) a community wildfire protection plan (as
defined in section 101 of the Healthy Forests
Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6511)); or
(B) a community evacuation plan.
(3) With respect to amounts appropriated for the activity
described in subsection (b)(3), the Secretary concerned shall
establish a small grant program to address local hazard
reduction on Federal, State, or private land, subject to the
conditions that--
(A) a grant provided under the program--
(i) may be awarded to an organization in an
at-risk community to address, in a sole
instance, a hazardous fuel in a specific
location, including piling and burning, and
implementing a prescribed fire on private land;
(ii) shall not exceed $20,000; and
(iii) shall require cost-sharing assistance
in an amount equal to not less than 10 percent
of the amount of the grant;
(B) the work identified for funding under the grant
shall be accomplished by a team composed of, at a
minimum--
(i) a private citizen;
(ii) a representative of a nonprofit
organization; and
(iii) a local fire department, including a
volunteer fire department;
(C) to be eligible for a grant under the program, a
strategic plan outlining the means by which the
applicant will address a hazardous fuel shall be
submitted to the Secretary concerned; and
(D) on completion of a grant project, the grant
recipient shall--
(i) submit to the Secretary concerned a
report; and
(ii) participate in training another grant
recipient during the following fiscal year.
(4) With respect to amounts appropriated for the activity
described in subsection (b)(4), the Secretary concerned may
provide cost-sharing assistance for the establishment and
operation of a local program in an at-risk community to assist
homeowners in the disposal of brush and slash generated by
hazard reduction activities.
SEC. 105. COMMUNITY SUPPORT DURING DISASTER RESPONSE.
(a) In General.--The Secretaries shall establish a program to train
and certify a citizen who wishes to be able to volunteer to assist the
Secretaries during a wildland fire incident.
(b) Service.--
(1) In general.--The Secretaries shall establish several
categories of service for each manner in which a volunteer
certified under this section may provide assistance.
(2) Direct suppression of wildland fires.--No volunteer
certified under this section may engage in an operation to
directly suppress a wildland fire.
(3) Direction.--A volunteer under this section shall--
(A) report to a designee of an incident commander
prior to providing any assistance on a wildland fire;
and
(B) operate continuously under the direction of the
designee while providing assistance on a wildland fire.
(c) Certification.--
(1) Criteria.--
(A) In general.--The Secretaries shall certify
volunteers to provide assistance for each category of
service established under subsection (b).
(B) Establishment of criteria.--The Secretaries
shall establish criteria for a volunteer to be
certified for each category of service.
(C) Attendance.--Attendance at training conducted
under paragraph (2) shall be 1 of the criteria
established under subparagraph (B).
(D) Assessment.--The Secretaries shall assess the
knowledge, skills, or abilities, of a person prior to
certifying a person to become a volunteer.
(2) Training.--
(A) In general.--The Secretaries shall regularly
conduct training for citizens who desire to be
certified as volunteers.
(B) Content.--The training shall include, at a
minimum, a safety component in an effort to minimize
inherent threats to volunteers and maximize the safety
of a volunteer, to the maximum extent practicable, as a
volunteer provides assistance on a wildland fire.
(C) Frequency.--The Secretaries shall offer, at a
minimum, 1 training session in each State with
significant wildfire risk, not less than every 2 years.
(3) Identification.--
(A) In general.--On the certification of a
volunteer, the Secretary concerned shall provide to the
volunteer a means of identification as a volunteer.
(B) Display.--A volunteer certified under this
section shall display, continuously while assisting in
a wildland fire, the means of identification.
TITLE II--WILDFIRE DETECTION AND SUPPRESSION SUPPORT
SEC. 201. WILDFIRE DETECTION EQUIPMENT.
To the extent practicable, the Secretary concerned shall--
(1) expedite the placement of wildfire detection equipment,
such as sensors, cameras, and other relevant equipment, in
areas at risk of wildfire;
(2) expand the use of satellite data to assist wildfire
response; and
(3) expedite any permitting required by the Secretary
concerned for the installation, maintenance, or removal of
wildfire detection equipment.
SEC. 202. GRANT PROGRAM FOR SLIP-ON TANK UNITS.
(a) In General.--The Secretaries shall establish a program to award
to an eligible State or unit of local government each year grants to
acquire slip-on tank and pump units (referred to in this section as
``slip-on units'') for a surge capacity of resources for fire
suppression.
(b) Eligibility.--
(1) In general.--To be eligible to receive a grant under
this section, a State or unit of local government shall--
(A) submit an application at such time, in such
manner, and containing such information as the
Secretaries may require; and
(B) contribute non-Federal funds in accordance with
paragraph (2).
(2) Cost-share requirements.--The non-Federal share of the
cost of acquiring slip-on units using a grant under this
section shall be not less than 25 percent.
(c) Use of Funds.--
(1) In general.--Grants awarded under this section shall be
used only for the acquisition of not fewer than 30 slip-on
units.
(2) Restrictions.--A recipient of a grant under this
section--
(A) shall be responsible for the cost of the
maintenance and use of the slip-on units; and
(B) may not use grant funds for a cost described in
subparagraph (A).
(d) Requirements for Operation of Slip-On Units.--A recipient of a
grant under this section shall--
(1) in maintaining and storing the slip-on units--
(A) store and mount a slip-on unit on a vehicle
only during--
(i) a period of extreme fire danger; or
(ii) an active wildland fire;
(B) designate a vehicle and personnel to be used
with each slip-on unit;
(C) make any necessary modification to a designated
vehicle to ensure compatibility with the use of the
slip-on unit;
(D) train designated personnel to use the slip-on
unit;
(E) ensure designated personnel possess elementary
wildland fire management skills, including post-fire-
front structure-protection tactics; and
(F) maintain each slip-on unit in good, usable
condition for a period of not fewer than 20 years;
(2) during a large, active wildland fire--
(A) staff each designated vehicle equipped with a
slip-on unit with--
(i) a person designated under paragraph
(1)(B); and
(ii) a trained firefighter, regardless of
whether the trained firefighter is paid, a
volunteer, or off-duty but paid;
(B) organize each designated vehicle equipped with
a slip-on unit into a team with other designated
vehicles under the direction of a qualified task force
leader; and
(C) use each designated vehicle equipped with a
slip-on unit primarily for the purpose of following
behind the wildland fire front--
(i) to prevent homes from igniting; and
(ii) to alert fire engines of structures
that have ignited; and
(3) comply with any other requirements determined to be
necessary by the Secretaries, including any minimum
requirements for a slip-on unit and any additional required
equipment.
SEC. 203. ASSISTANCE TO STATES FOR OPERATION OF AIR TANKERS.
The Secretary concerned may provide funding to States to enable
States to operate not more than 50 single-engine air tankers if--
(1) the single-engine air tanker is government-owned and
contractor-operated or government-owned and government-
operated;
(2) a State receiving funding for a single-engine air
tanker under this section shares the cost with the Secretary of
the acquisition and operation of the aircraft; and
(3) the single-engine air tanker--
(A) shall be used for initial attack; and
(B) shall not be used for large fire aviation
support.
SEC. 204. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM FIRE
APPLICATIONS.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Covered unmanned aircraft test range.--The term
``covered unmanned aircraft test range'' means a test range
that is approved of or designated by the Administrator of the
Federal Aviation Administration for the testing of unmanned
aircraft systems, as required under section 44803 of title 49,
United States Code.
(2) Unmanned aircraft system.--The term ``unmanned aircraft
system'' means an unmanned aircraft and associated elements
(including communication links and the components that control
the unmanned aircraft) that are required for the operator to
operate safely and efficiently in the national airspace system
of the Federal Aviation Administration.
(b) Joint Fire Science Program.--The Secretary of the Interior
shall, acting through the Joint Fire Science Program, work with covered
unmanned aircraft test ranges to carry out research and development of
unmanned aircraft system fire applications.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary of the Interior such sums as are
necessary to carry out this section.
SEC. 205. STUDY ON EFFECTS OF DRONE INCURSIONS ON WILDFIRE SUPPRESSION.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Drone.--The term ``drone'' means an unmanned aircraft
system owned by a private individual or entity.
(2) Drone incursion.--The term ``drone incursion'' means
the operation of a drone within any airspace for which the
Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration has issued
a temporary flight restriction because of a wildfire.
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior, acting through the Director of the Bureau of
Land Management.
(b) Study Required.--The Secretary, in consultation with the
Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest
Service, shall conduct a study on the effects of drone incursions on
wildfire suppression with respect to land managed by the Department of
the Interior or the Department of Agriculture.
(c) Study Contents.--In conducting the study required under
subsection (b), the Secretary shall--
(1) determine, for each of the 5 most recent calendar
years--
(A) the number of occurrences in which a drone
incursion interfered with wildfire suppression; and
(B) the effect of each occurrence described in
subparagraph (A) on--
(i) the length of time required to achieve
complete suppression;
(ii) the effectiveness of aerial
firefighting responses; and
(iii) the amounts expended by the Federal
Government; and
(2) evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of various
actions to prevent drone incursions, including--
(A) the use of reasonable force to disable, damage,
or destroy a drone;
(B) the seizure of a drone, including seizure with
a net device; and
(C) the dissemination of educational materials
relating to the effects of drone incursions on wildfire
suppression.
(d) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources
of the House of Representatives a report describing--
(1) the findings of the study required under subsection
(b); and
(2) any recommendations of the Secretary relating to those
findings.
SEC. 206. STUDY ON WILDFIRE DETECTION EQUIPMENT AND INTEGRATION OF
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TECHNOLOGIES.
(a) In General.--The Secretaries shall conduct a study on--
(1) the effectiveness and limitations on the deployment and
application of each wildfire detection equipment technology
with respect to detection, confirmation, geolocation,
predictability of wildfire spread, suppression resource
management, post-fire forensics, and surface rehabilitation;
(2) how each technology described in paragraph (1), with
proper and timely deployment and use, can provide for the most
effective and efficient means of dealing with the threat and
the reality of wildland fires;
(3) the integration of artificial intelligence with real-
time imagery and weather data provided by wildfire detection
equipment technology; and
(4) how the integration of artificial intelligence
described in paragraph (3) can enhance the value of each
wildfire detection equipment technology, individually and
collectively.
(b) Submission and Public Availability.--Not later than 2 years
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall submit
to the congressional committees and make publicly available the results
of the study conducted under subsection (a).
TITLE III--POST-FIRE RECOVERY SUPPORT
SEC. 301. FUNDING FOR ONLINE GUIDES FOR POST-FIRE ASSISTANCE.
(a) Use of Services of Other Agencies.--Section 201(a) of the
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42
U.S.C. 5131(a)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (7), by striking the period at the end and
inserting ``; and''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(8) post-disaster assistance.''.
(b) Funding for Online Guides for Assistance.--Section 201 of the
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42
U.S.C. 5131) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(e) Funding for Online Guides for Assistance.--
``(1) In general.--The Administrator of the Federal
Emergency Management Agency may enter into a cooperative
agreement to provide funding to a State agency established
under subsection (c) to establish and operate a website to
provide information relating to post-fire recovery funding and
resources to a community or an individual impacted by a
wildland fire.
``(2) Management.--A website created under this subsection
shall be--
``(A) managed by the State agency; and
``(B) suitable for the residents of the State of
the State agency.
``(3) Content.--The Administrator may enter into a
cooperative agreement to establish a website under this
subsection only to provide 1 or more of the following:
``(A) A list of Federal, State, and local sources
of post-fire recovery funding or assistance that may be
available to a community after a wildfire.
``(B) A list of Federal, State, and local sources
of post-fire recovery funding or assistance that may be
available to an individual impacted by a wildfire.
``(C) A technical guide that lists and explains the
costs and benefits of alternatives available to a
community to mitigate the impacts of wildfire and
prepare for potential flooding.
``(4) Cooperation.--A State agency that enters into a
cooperative agreement under this subsection shall cooperate
with the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of
Agriculture, and the Administrator of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency in developing a website under this
subsection.
``(5) Updates.--A State agency that receives funding to
establish a website under this subsection shall update the
website not less than once every 6 years.''.
SEC. 302. LONG-TERM BURNED AREA RECOVERY ACCOUNT.
(a) Establishment of Account.--There is established in the Treasury
of the United States the Long-Term Burned Area Recovery account for the
Department of Agriculture.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated for fiscal year 2024 and each fiscal year thereafter for
the account established by subsection (a) such sums as are necessary to
carry out the activities described in subsection (d), not to exceed
$100,000,000.
(c) Presidential Budget Requests.--For fiscal year 2025 and each
fiscal year thereafter, the Secretary of Agriculture shall submit
through the budget request of the President and in accordance with
subsection (b), a request for amounts in the Wildland Fire Management
appropriation account to carry out the activities described in
subsection (d).
(d) Authorized Activities.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall use
amounts in the account established by subsection (a) for rehabilitation
projects--
(1) that begin not earlier than 1 year after the date on
which the wildfire was contained;
(2) that are--
(A) scheduled to be completed not later than 3
years after the date on which the wildfire was
contained; and
(B) located at sites impacted by wildfire on non-
Federal or Federal land;
(3) that restore the functions of an ecosystem or protect
life or property; and
(4) not less than 10 percent of the total costs of which
are paid for with non-Federal funds.
(e) Prioritization of Funding.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall
prioritize, on a nationwide basis, projects for which funding requests
are submitted under this section, based on--
(1) downstream effects on water resources; and
(2) public safety.
SEC. 303. PRIZE FOR WILDFIRE-RELATED INVASIVE SPECIES REDUCTION.
Section 7001(d) of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation,
Management, and Recreation Act (16 U.S.C. 742b note; Public Law 116-9)
is amended--
(1) by striking ``paragraph (8)(A)'' each place it appears
and inserting ``paragraph (9)(A)'';
(2) by striking ``paragraph (8)(B)'' each place it appears
and inserting ``paragraph (9)(B)'';
(3) by redesignating paragraph (8) as paragraph (9);
(4) by inserting after paragraph (7) the following:
``(8) Theodore roosevelt genius prize for management of
wildfire-related invasive species.--
``(A) Definitions.--In this paragraph:
``(i) Board.--The term `Board' means the
Management of Wildfire-Related Invasive Species
Technology Advisory Board established by
subparagraph (C)(i).
``(ii) Prize competition.--The term `prize
competition' means the Theodore Roosevelt
Genius Prize for the management of wildfire-
related invasive species established under
subparagraph (B).
``(B) Authority.--Not later than 180 days after the
date of enactment of the Western Wildfire Support Act
of 2023, the Secretary shall establish under section 24
of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of
1980 (15 U.S.C. 3719) a prize competition, to be known
as the `Theodore Roosevelt Genius Prize for the
management of wildfire-related invasive species'--
``(i) to encourage technological innovation
with the potential to advance the mission of
the National Invasive Species Council with
respect to the management of wildfire-related
invasive species; and
``(ii) to award 1 or more prizes annually
for a technological advancement that manages
wildfire-related invasive species.
``(C) Advisory board.--
``(i) Establishment.--There is established
an advisory board, to be known as the
`Management of Wildfire-Related Invasive
Species Technology Advisory Board'.
``(ii) Composition.--The Board shall be
composed of not fewer than 9 members appointed
by the Secretary, who shall provide expertise
in--
``(I) invasive species;
``(II) biology;
``(III) technology development;
``(IV) engineering;
``(V) economics;
``(VI) business development and
management;
``(VII) wildfire; and
``(VIII) any other discipline, as
the Secretary determines to be
necessary to achieve the purposes of
this paragraph.
``(iii) Duties.--Subject to clause (iv),
with respect to the prize competition, the
Board shall--
``(I) select a topic;
``(II) issue a problem statement;
``(III) advise the Secretary
regarding any opportunity for
technological innovation to manage
wildfire-related invasive species; and
``(IV) advise winners of the prize
competition regarding opportunities to
pilot and implement winning
technologies in relevant fields,
including in partnership with
conservation organizations, Federal or
State agencies, federally recognized
Indian Tribes, private entities, and
research institutions with expertise or
interest relating to the management of
wildfire-related invasive species.
``(iv) Consultation.--In selecting a topic
and issuing a problem statement for the prize
competition, the Board shall consult widely
with Federal and non-Federal stakeholders,
including--
``(I) 1 or more Federal agencies
with jurisdiction over the management
of invasive species;
``(II) 1 or more Federal agencies
with jurisdiction over the management
of wildfire;
``(III) 1 or more State agencies
with jurisdiction over the management
of invasive species;
``(IV) 1 or more State agencies
with jurisdiction over the management
of wildfire;
``(V) 1 or more State, regional, or
local wildlife organizations, the
mission of which relates to the
management of invasive species; and
``(VI) 1 or more wildlife
conservation groups, technology
companies, research institutions,
institutions of higher education,
industry associations, or individual
stakeholders with an interest in the
management of wildfire-related invasive
species.
``(v) Requirements.--The Board shall comply
with all requirements under paragraph (9)(A).
``(D) Administration by the national invasive
species council.--The Secretary, acting through the
Director of the National Invasive Species Council,
shall administer the prize competition.
``(E) Judges.--
``(i) Appointment.--The Secretary shall
appoint not fewer than 3 judges who shall,
except as provided in clause (ii), select the 1
or more annual winners of the prize
competition.
``(ii) Determination by secretary.--The
judges appointed under clause (i) shall not
select any annual winner of the prize
competition if the Secretary makes a
determination that, in any fiscal year, none of
the technological advancements entered into the
prize competition merits an award.
``(F) Report to congress.--Not later than 60 days
after the date on which a cash prize is awarded under
this paragraph, the Secretary shall submit to the
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate
and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of
Representatives a report on the prize competition that
includes--
``(i) a statement by the Board that
describes the activities carried out by the
Board relating to the duties described in
subparagraph (C)(iii);
``(ii) a description of the 1 or more
annual winners of the prize competition; and
``(iii) a statement by 1 or more of the
judges appointed under subparagraph (E) that
explains the basis on which the 1 or more
winners of the prize competition was selected.
``(G) Termination of authority.--The Board and all
authority provided under this paragraph shall terminate
on December 31, 2028.''; and
(5) in paragraph (9) (as so redesignated)--
(A) in subparagraph (A), in the matter preceding
clause (i), by striking ``or (7)(C)(i)'' and inserting
``(7)(C)(i), or (8)(C)(i)''; and
(B) in subparagraph (B)--
(i) in the matter preceding clause (i), by
striking ``or (7)(D)(i)'' and inserting
``(7)(D)(i), or (8)(D)(i)''; and
(ii) in clause (i)(VII), by striking ``and
(7)(E)'' and inserting ``(7)(E), and (8)(E)''.
<all>