Western Wildfire Support Act

Summary#

This Act would change how the federal government prepares for, detects, fights, and recovers from wildfires on Federal land. It adds new reporting and transparency rules for Wildland Fire Management spending. It requires the Department of Defense to seek mutual aid agreements with States and to reimburse State agencies for suppression services when fires are caused by military training. The Act directs the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to update spatial fire management plans for defined "firesheds" and to include wildfire planning in land management teams.

The Act requires studies and reports on integrating local structural firefighters into wildfire response, on drone incursions during wildfires, and on modernizing communications and prediction tools for wildfire response. It encourages faster deployment of detection equipment (sensors, cameras, satellites, and unmanned aerial vehicles) and supports research on unmanned aircraft system applications for fire response.

The Act expands financial assistance and reporting for slip-on tanker firefighting units to include Indian Tribes, and it directs guidance and coordination for using those units in wildfire response. For recovery, it authorizes funding for state-run online post-disaster assistance guides, creates permanent Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) teams for immediate post-fire stabilization work, and establishes a Long-Term Burned Area Rehabilitation account for reforestation, watershed work, invasive species control, and related recovery projects with up to $100,000,000 authorized per year (subject to appropriations).

Finally, the Act creates a prize competition administered by the National Invasive Species Council to encourage technologies that manage wildfire-related invasive species, sets up an advisory board and judges for the prize, and sets a termination date for that authority of December 31, 2028.

What it means for you#

• If you live or work near Federal lands, the Act may lead to new planning for local firesheds and more reporting about wildfire spending.
• State agencies may be reimbursed when they fight fires caused by military training, if they have reciprocal agreements with the Department of Defense.
• Indian Tribes and local governments could apply for assistance to buy slip-on tanker units; the Interior Department will report on purchases and barriers.
• The Act directs studies and reports that could lead to new training, communications, or technology changes for firefighters; those are not immediate changes but steps toward decisions.
• After a wildfire, permanent BAER Teams could coordinate emergency stabilization work and a new rehabilitation account could fund longer-term recovery projects on Federal land.

Expenses#

• The Long-Term Burned Area Rehabilitation account is authorized up to $100,000,000 each fiscal year starting in 2025, not to exceed that amount, subject to appropriations.
• Reimbursements to State agencies for fires caused by military training are to be paid from amounts authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Defense for operation and maintenance.
• Section 203 (research on unmanned aircraft systems) authorizes "such sums as are necessary."
• The Act allows FEMA to provide cooperative agreements for State websites but does not specify dollar amounts.
• Many other provisions require studies, reports, or internal actions without specific funding levels detailed in the text.
• No publicly available information on total estimated cost or budget offsets beyond the items above.

Proponents' View#

The Act's stated purpose is "to improve Federal activities relating to wildfires." Provisions in the text focus on increasing transparency of fire spending, supporting detection and suppression tools, coordinating planning for firesheds, reimbursing State agencies for military-caused fires, and funding immediate and longer-term post-fire recovery actions.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.