Ending Major Borderland Environmental Ruin from Wildfires (EMBER) Act
The Ending Major Borderland Environmental Ruin from Wildfires (EMBER) Act would create a federal program to reduce wildfire risk and environmental damage along the U.S.-Mexico southern border. Specifically, it would establish the Southern Border Fuels Management Initiative within the Department of the Interior (and coordinated with the Forest Service) to manage vegetation, remove invasive species, and install fuel breaks along federally managed lands that lie along the southern border. The aim is to lower the chance of catastrophic wildfires, improve border security operations, and increase safety for law enforcement. The bill also requires the federal government to develop policies within 90 days to prevent wildfires and environmental damage caused by illegal border crossings, and it mandates reporting to Congress within one year on policies, incident data, costs, and resource needs. It authorizes a specific annual funding level for the Initiative through 2032 and provides that the Initiative will terminate seven years after enactment. It also directs a later Comptroller General review to update a 2011 report on how federal agencies use law enforcement resources in wildland fire management, with an emphasis on border states.
Key Points
- 1Establishment and scope of the Southern Border Fuels Management Initiative: a new program within the Interior Department (with coordination from the Forest Service and other agencies) to manage vegetation, reduce hazardous fuels, address invasive species, and install fuel breaks along covered federal lands near the southern border, with annual targets for acres treated.
- 2Funding and duration: authorization of $3,660,000 per fiscal year from 2026 through 2032 to carry out the Initiative; the Initiative terminates seven years after enactment.
- 3Definitions and jurisdiction: defines “covered federal lands” (federal lands near the southern border administered by NPS, BLM, USFWS, Bureau of Reclamation, or the Forest Service, but not land held in trust for Indian Tribes) and clarifies who is the “Secretary concerned” (Interior Secretary for Interior lands; Agriculture Secretary via the Forest Service for National Forest lands).
- 4Policies to mitigate wildfire and environmental degradation: within 90 days of enactment, the Secretaries must establish policies/protocols to prevent fires and reduce environmental damage caused by aliens without lawful status, including trash reduction, ignition prevention, protection of wildlife and water resources, and preservation of sensitive habitats and archaeological resources; coordination with DHS and other agencies is required.
- 5Reporting and accountability: within 1 year, a Congress-facing report detailing the policies, incident data (acres burned, number of fires, costs of cleanup, arrests linked to fires, affected areas), and resource needs; within 2 years, the Comptroller General must update a 2011 report on federal fire-management resource use, including information on Border States.