S 561 ISCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To authorize a supplemental funding source for catastrophic emergency wildland fire suppression activities on Department of the Interior and National Forest System lands, to require the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to develop a cohesive wildland fire management strategy, and for other purposes.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

March 10, 2009CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Mr. BINGAMAN (for himself, Ms. MURKOWSKI, Mrs. BOXER, Mr. WYDEN, Mr. UDALL of New Mexico, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. TESTER, Mr. JOHNSON, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, and Mr. HATCH) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural ResourcesCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To authorize a supplemental funding source for catastrophic emergency wildland fire suppression activities on Department of the Interior and National Forest System lands, to require the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to develop a cohesive wildland fire management strategy, and for other purposes.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

(a) Short Title- This Act may be cited as the ‘Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement Act’ or ‘FLAME Act’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(b) Table of Contents- The table of contents for this Act is as follows:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





Sec. 2. Flame Fund for catastrophic emergency wildland fire suppression activities.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





Sec. 3. Cohesive wildland fire management strategy.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





Sec. 4. Review of certain wildfires to evaluate cost containment in wildland fire suppression activities.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





Sec. 5. Reducing risk of wildfires in fire-ready communities.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 2. FLAME FUND FOR CATASTROPHIC EMERGENCY WILDLAND FIRE SUPPRESSION ACTIVITIES.

(a) Definitions- In this section:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) FEDERAL LAND- The term ‘Federal land’ means the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) Public lands, as defined in section 103 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702).CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) Units of the National Park System.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(C) Refuges of the National Wildlife Refuge System.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(D) Lands held in trust by the United States for the benefit of Indian tribes or individual Indians.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(E) Lands in the National Forest System, as defined in section 11(a) of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1609(a)).CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) FLAME FUND- The term ‘Flame Fund’ means the Federal Land Assistance, Management, and Enhancement Fund established by this section.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) SECRETARY CONCERNED- The term ‘Secretary concerned’ means--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to Federal land described in subparagraphs (A), (B), (C), and (D) of paragraph (1); andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) the Secretary of Agriculture, with respect to National Forest System land.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(4) SECRETARIES- The term ‘Secretaries’ means the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture, acting jointly.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(b) Establishment and Availability of Flame Fund-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) ESTABLISHMENT- There is established in the Treasury of the United States a fund to be known as the Federal Land Assistance, Management, and Enhancement Fund.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) CONTENTS- The Flame Fund shall consist of the following amounts:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) Amounts appropriated to the Flame Fund pursuant to the authorization of appropriations in subsection (c).CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) Amounts transferred to the Flame Fund pursuant to subsection (d).CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) AVAILABILITY- Subject to subsection (e), amounts in the Flame Fund shall be available to the Secretaries to pay the costs of catastrophic emergency wildland fire suppression activities that are separate from amounts annually appropriated to the Secretaries for the predicted annual workload for wildland fire suppression activities, based on analyses of historical workloads and anticipated increased workloads due to changing environmental or demographic conditions.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(c) Authorization of Appropriations-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There is authorized to be appropriated to the Flame Fund such amounts as may be necessary to carry out this section. It is the intent of Congress that the amount appropriated to the Flame Fund for fiscal year 2010 and each fiscal year thereafter should be not less than the average amount expended by the Secretaries for emergency wildland fire suppression activities over the five fiscal years preceding that fiscal year.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) SENSE OF CONGRESS ON DESIGNATION OF FLAME FUND APPROPRIATIONS AS EMERGENCY REQUIREMENT- It is the sense of Congress that--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) the amounts appropriated to the Flame Fund should be designated as amounts necessary to meet emergency needs; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) the new budget authority and outlays resulting therefrom should not count for the purposes of titles III and IV of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) NOTICE OF INSUFFICIENT FUNDS- The Secretaries shall notify the congressional committees specified in subsection (h)(2) whenever only an estimated two months worth of funding remains in the Flame Fund.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(d) Transfer of Excess Wildland Fire Suppression Amounts Into Flame Fund- At the end of each fiscal year, the Secretary concerned shall transfer to the Flame Fund amounts appropriated to the Secretary concerned for wildland fire suppression activities for the fiscal year, but not obligated for wildland fire suppression activities before the end of the fiscal year.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(e) Use of Flame Fund-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) DECLARATION REQUIRED- Amounts in the Flame Fund shall be made available to the Secretary concerned only after the Secretaries issue a declaration that a wildland fire suppression activity is eligible for funding from the Flame Fund.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) DECLARATION CRITERIA- A declaration by the Secretaries under paragraph (1) shall be based on the following criteria:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) In the case of an individual wildland fire incident--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(i) the fire covers 300 or more acres;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(ii) the severity of the fire, which may be based on incident complexity or the potential for increased complexity; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(iii) the threat posed by the fire, including the potential for loss of lives, property, or critical resources.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) Consistent with subsection (f), in the case of a firefighting season, when the cumulative costs of wildland fire suppression activities for the Secretary concerned are projected to exceed amounts annually appropriated for such activities.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) TRANSFER OF AMOUNTS TO SECRETARY CONCERNED- After issuance of a declaration under paragraph (1) and upon the request of the Secretary concerned, the Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer from the Flame Fund to the Secretary concerned such amounts as the Secretaries determine are necessary for wildland fire suppression activities associated with the declared suppression emergency.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(4) STATE, PRIVATE, AND TRIBAL LAND- Use of the Flame Fund for catastrophic emergency wildland fire suppression activities on State and private land and, where applicable, tribal land shall be consistent with existing agreements where the Secretaries have agreed to assume responsibility for wildland fire suppression activities on the land.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(f) Treatment of Anticipated and Predicted Activities- The Secretary concerned shall continue to fund anticipated and predicted wildland fire suppression activities within the appropriate agency budget for each fiscal year. Use of the additional funding made available through the Flame Fund is intended to supplement the budgeted and appropriated agency funding and is to be used only for purposes and in instances consistent with this section.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(g) Prohibition on Other Transfers- All amounts in the Flame Fund, as well as all funds appropriated for the purpose of wildland fire suppression on Federal land, must be obligated before the Secretary concerned may transfer funds from non-fire accounts for wildland fire suppression.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(h) Accounting and Reports-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) ACCOUNTING AND REPORTING SYSTEM- The Secretaries shall establish an accounting and reporting system for the Flame Fund compatible with existing National Fire Plan reporting procedures.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) ANNUAL REPORT; PUBLIC AVAILABILITY- The Secretaries shall submit to the Committee on Natural Resources, the Committee on Agriculture, and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, the Committee on Indian Affairs, and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate an annual report on the use of the funds from the Flame Fund, together with any recommendations that the Secretaries may have to improve the administrative control and oversight of the Flame Fund. The annual report shall be made available to the public.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) ESTIMATES OF WILDFIRE SUPPRESSION COSTS TO IMPROVE BUDGETING AND FUNDING-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) PERIODIC ESTIMATES- Consistent with the schedule provided in subparagraph (B), the Secretaries shall submit to the committees specified in paragraph (2) an estimate of anticipated wildfire suppression costs for the current fiscal year and the following fiscal year. The methodology for developing the estimates shall be subject to periodic peer review to ensure compliance with subparagraph (C).CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) SUBMISSION SCHEDULE- The Secretaries shall submit an estimate under subparagraph (A) during--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(i) the first week of February of each year;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(ii) the first week of April of each year;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(iii) the first week of July of each year; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(iv) if the bill making appropriations for operations of the Department of the Interior and the Forest Service for the following fiscal year has not been enacted by September 1, the first week of September of each year.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(C) BASIS- An estimate of anticipated wildfire suppression costs shall be developed using the best available--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(i) climate, weather, and other relevant data; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(ii) models and other analytic tools.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 3. COHESIVE WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY.

(a) Strategy Required- Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture shall submit to Congress a report that contains a cohesive wildland fire management strategy, consistent with the recommendations contained in recent Comptroller General reports regarding this issue.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(b) Elements of Strategy- The strategy required by subsection (a) shall address the findings of the Comptroller General in the reports referred to in such subsection and include the following elements:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) A system to identify the most cost effective means for allocating fire management budget resources.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) An illustration of plans by the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to reinvest in non-fire programs.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) A description of how the Secretaries will employ appropriate management response.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(4) A system for assessing the level of risk to communities.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(5) A system to ensure that the highest priority fuels reduction projects are being funded first.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 4. REVIEW OF CERTAIN WILDFIRES TO EVALUATE COST CONTAINMENT IN WILDLAND FIRE SUPPRESSION ACTIVITIES.

(a) Review Required- The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture shall conduct a review, using independent panels, of each wildfire incident for which the Secretary concerned incurs expenses in excess of $10,000,000.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(b) Report- The Secretary concerned shall submit to the Committee on Natural Resources, the Committee on Agriculture, and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, the Committee on Indian Affairs, and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate a report containing the results of each review conducted under subsection (a).CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 5. REDUCING RISK OF WILDFIRES IN FIRE-READY COMMUNITIES.

(a) Fire-Ready Community Defined- In this section, the term ‘fire-ready community’ means a community that--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) is located within a priority area identified pursuant to subsection (b);CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) has a cooperative fire agreement that articulates the roles and responsibilities for Federal, State and local government entities in local wildfire suppression and protection;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) has local codes that require fire-resistant home design and building materials;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(4) has a community wildfire protection plan (as defined in section 101 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6502)); andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(5) is engaged in a successful collaborative process that includes multiple interested persons representing diverse interests and is transparent and nonexclusive, such as a resource advisory committee established under section 205 of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-393; 16 U.S.C. 500 note).CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(b) Fire Risk Mapping- As soon as is practicable after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior (in this section referred to as the ‘Secretaries’) shall develop regional maps of communities most at risk of wildfire and in need of hazardous fuel treatment and maintenance. The maps shall identify priority areas for hazardous fuels reduction projects, including--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) at-risk communities in fire-prone areas of the wildland-urban interface (as defined in section 101 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6502));CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) watersheds and municipal drinking water sources;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) emergency evacuation corridors;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(4) electricity transmission corridors; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(5) low-capacity or low-income communities.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(c) Local Wildland Firefighting Capability Grants-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) GRANTS AVAILABLE- The Secretaries may provide cost-share grants to fire-ready communities to assist such communities in carrying out activities authorized by paragraph (2).CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES- Grant funds may be used for the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) Education programs to raise awareness of homeowners and citizens about wildland fire protection practices, including FireWise or similar programs.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) Training programs for local firefighters on wildland firefighting techniques and approaches.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(C) Equipment acquisition to facilitate wildland fire preparedness.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(D) Implementation of a community wildfire protection plan.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(d) Wildland Fire Cost-Share Agreements- In developing any wildland fire cost-share agreement with a State Forester or equivalent official, the Secretaries shall, to the greatest extent possible, encourage the State and local communities involved to become fire-ready communities.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(e) Authorization of Appropriations- There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretaries to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink