S 395119th CongressIn Committee

Emergency Fuel Reduction Act of 2025

Introduced: Feb 4, 2025

Sponsor: Sen. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY] (R-Wyoming)

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

Emergency Fuel Reduction Act of 2025 would amend the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to speed up wildfire prevention projects on high-risk federal lands, particularly those adjacent to communities, private property, and critical infrastructure. The bill creates new streamlined procedures under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by adding a categorical exclusion for certain hazardous fuel reduction projects. It authorizes rapid removal or treatment of fire hazards (like insect-infected, dead, or dangerous trees and other fuels) and limits the environmental review process for specific projects up to 10,000 acres that also meet wildlife or habitat protection goals. The intended effect is to reduce wildfire risk, improve forest and wildland health, and support species that may be threatened or under consideration for listing (including sage-grouse). The measure includes important limitations, excluding lands in the National Wilderness Preservation System, lands where vegetation removal is prohibited, and land within National Monuments as of enactment.

Key Points

1Creates a new categorical exclusion under NEPA for certain hazardous fuel reduction projects, allowing them to proceed without full environmental impact reviews if they meet specific criteria.
2Eligible projects may involve removing insect-infected trees, dead or dying trees, trees that threaten public safety, or other hazardous fuels that threaten infrastructure (utilities, water systems, campgrounds, roadsides, schools, etc.).
3Eligibility also covers work on Federal land where conditions risk spillover to adjacent non-Federal land (e.g., wildfire risk, insect/disease epidemics, invasive species).
4Projects up to 10,000 acres that are at particular wildfire risk or that benefit threatened/endangered species habitat, or provide conservation benefits to species under consideration or state-listed/special concern species, may be categorically excluded.
5Explicit exclusions: lands in the National Wilderness Preservation System, lands where vegetation removal is prohibited by Federal law, and lands within National Monuments as of enactment.
6Purpose includes promoting recovery of species under consideration for listing, including sage-grouse habitat, which is affected by wildland fire.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected: Federal land management agencies (e.g., Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management) implementing wildfire prevention projects; nearby communities and critical infrastructure that could benefit from reduced wildfire risk.Secondary group/area affected: Local governments, utility and communications infrastructure operators, water systems, schools, campgrounds, and roadsides that could be protected by fuel reduction activities.Additional impacts: Environmental review timelines and public participation processes for covered projects would be reduced under NEPA for eligible actions, which could affect wildlife habitat and ecological considerations, including species listed or under consideration for listing. The bill’s focus on sage-grouse and other species suggests potential wildlife benefits but also raises questions about habitat impacts when trees and fuels are removed under categorically excluded activities. There may be policy debates about the balance between expedited risk reduction and environmental protections, as well as the administrative interpretation of which projects qualify for exclusion.

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