ACRES Act
Officially: “ACRES Act” Read the full text
What it does
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1Short title
This section gives the Act a short title: it may be called the Accurately Counting Risk Elimination Solutions Act, or the ACRES Act.
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1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Accurately Counting Risk Elimination Solutions Act or the ACRES Act .
2Accurate Hazardous Fuels Reduction Reports
This section would require the Secretary of Agriculture, for National Forest System lands, and the Secretary of the Interior, for public lands and units of the National Park System, each called the Secretary concerned, to include a hazardous fuels reduction report in the materials submitted in support of the President's budget each year, starting with the first fiscal year that begins after this Act becomes law. That report would cover the number of acres of federal land on which the Secretary concerned carried out hazardous fuels reduction activities during the preceding fiscal year, counting each acre of completed work only once even if more than one hazardous fuels reduction activity took place on it during the period. For the acres recorded in the report, the Secretary concerned would have to include information on which acres are in the wildland-urban interface; the level of wildfire risk, rated high, moderate, or low, on the first and last day of the period covered; the types of hazardous fuels activities completed, noting separately whether each was carried out during a wildfire managed for resource benefits or through a planned project; the cost per acre of the activities carried out during the period; the region or system unit where the acres are located; and how effective the activities were at reducing wildfire risk. The Secretary concerned would have to make each report publicly available on the website of the Department of Agriculture or the Department of the Interior, whichever applies. Separately, not later than 90 days after enactment, the Secretary concerned would have to put in place standardized procedures for tracking data related to hazardous fuels reduction activities. Those procedures would have to include regular, standardized reviews of the accuracy and timely entry of the tracking data; verification methods to confirm the data actually matches the hazardous fuels reduction activities carried out; an analysis of the short- and long-term effectiveness of the activities at reducing wildfire risk; and, for activities that occur partly inside and partly outside the wildland-urban interface, methods to distinguish which acres fall inside it and which fall outside it. Not later than 2 weeks after putting those procedures in place, the Secretary concerned would have to submit a report to Congress describing the procedures and any program or policy recommendations to address limitations in tracking this data. Not later than 2 years after enactment, the Comptroller General of the United States would have to study how the Act has been implemented, including any limitations in reporting hazardous fuels reduction activities under the budget-report requirement or in tracking data under the data-collection requirement, and submit a report on the results to Congress. The section defines a hazardous fuels reduction activity as any vegetation management activity to reduce the risk of wildfire, including mechanical treatments and prescribed burning, but the term does not include the awarding of contracts to carry out such activities. It defines Federal lands as lands under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture. It defines Secretary concerned as the Secretary of Agriculture with respect to National Forest System lands and the Secretary of the Interior with respect to public lands and units of the National Park System. It defines wildland-urban interface by reference to the meaning given that term in section 101 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003. Finally, the section states that no additional funds are authorized to carry out the Act's requirements, so the activities it requires can only happen to the extent that appropriations for them are made available in advance.
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2. Accurate Hazardous Fuels Reduction Reports (a) Inclusion of Hazardous Fuels Reduction Report in Materials Submitted in Support of the President’s Budget (1) In general Beginning with the first fiscal year that begins after the date of the enactment of this Act, and each fiscal year thereafter, the Secretary concerned shall include in the materials submitted in support of the President’s budget pursuant to section 1105 of title 31, United States Code, a report on the number of acres of Federal land on which the Secretary concerned carried out hazardous fuels reduction activities during the preceding fiscal year. (2) Requirements For purposes of the report required under paragraph (1), the Secretary concerned shall— (A) in determining the number of acres of Federal land on which the Secretary concerned carried out hazardous fuels reduction activities during the period covered by the report— (i) record acres of Federal land on which hazardous fuels reduction activities were completed during such period; and (ii) record each acre described in clause (i) once in the report, regardless of whether multiple hazardous fuels reduction activities were carried out on such acre during such period; and (B) with respect to the acres of Federal land recorded in the report, include information on— (i) which such acres are located in the wildland-urban interface; (ii) the level of wildfire risk (high, moderate, or low) on the first and last day of the period covered by the report; (iii) the types of hazardous fuels activities completed for such acres, delineating between whether such activities were conducted— (I) in a wildfire managed for resource benefits; or (II) through a planned project; (iv) the cost per acre of hazardous fuels activities carried out during the period covered by the report; (v) the region or system unit in which the acres are located; and (vi) the effectiveness of the hazardous fuels reduction activities on reducing the risk of wildfire. (3) Transparency The Secretary concerned shall make each report submitted under paragraph (1) publicly available on the website of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior, as applicable. (b) Accurate data collection (1) In general Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary concerned shall implement standardized procedures for tracking data related to hazardous fuels reduction activities carried out by the Secretary concerned. (2) Elements The standardized procedures required under paragraph (1) shall include— (A) regular, standardized data reviews of the accuracy and timely input of data used to track hazardous fuels reduction activities; (B) verification methods that validate whether such data accurately correlates to the hazardous fuels reduction activities carried out by the Secretary concerned; (C) an analysis of the short- and long-term effectiveness of the hazardous fuels reduction activities on reducing the risk of wildfire; and (D) for hazardous fuels reduction activities that occur partially within the wildland-urban interface, methods to distinguish which acres are located within the wildland-urban interface and which acres are located outside the wildland-urban interface. (3) Report Not later than 2 weeks after implementing the standardized procedures required under paragraph (1), the Secretary concerned shall submit to Congress a report that describes— (A) such standardized procedures; and (B) program and policy recommendations to Congress to address any limitations in tracking data related to hazardous fuels reduction activities under this subsection. (c) GAO study Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall— (1) conduct a study on the implementation of this Act, including any limitations with respect to— (A) reporting hazardous fuels reduction activities under subsection (a); or (B) tracking data related to hazardous fuels reduction activities under subsection (b); and (2) submit to Congress a report that describes the results of the study under paragraph (1). (d) Definitions In this Act: (1) Hazardous fuels reduction activity The term hazardous fuels reduction activity — (A) means any vegetation management activity to reduce the risk of wildfire, including mechanical treatments and prescribed burning; and (B) does not include the awarding of contracts to conduct hazardous fuels reduction activities. (2) Federal lands The term Federal lands means lands under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture. (3) Secretary concerned The term Secretary concerned means— (A) the Secretary of Agriculture, with respect to National Forest System lands; and (B) the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to public lands and units of the National Park System. (4) Wildland-urban interface The term wildland-urban interface has the meaning given the term in section 101 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 ( 16 U.S.C. 6511 ). (e) No additional funds authorized No additional funds are authorized to carry out the requirements of this Act, and the activities authorized by this Act are subject to the availability of appropriations made in advance for such purposes. Passed the House of Representatives January 21, 2025. Kevin F. McCumber, Clerk.
Where it is
In the House.