Catastrophic Wildfire Prevention Act of 2013

Summary

Catastrophic Wildfire Prevention Act of 2013 - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA), with respect to National Forest System lands, and the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to public lands, to implement authorized wildfire prevention projects in at-risk forests and on threatened and endangered species habitat in a manner that focuses on surface, ladder, and canopy fuels reduction activities. Requires projects carried out on threatened and endangered species habitat to: (1) provide enhanced protection from wildfire, including catastrophic wildfire, for the endangered species, threatened species, or their habitat; and (2) comply with applicable recovery plan guidelines. Requires projects carried out in at-risk forests to move the federal land from condition class II or III toward condition class I, as those classes were developed by the Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station in a specified general technical report. Permits use in a project of: (1) domestic livestock grazing to reduce surface fuel loads and to recover burned areas; and (2) timber harvesting and thinning to reduce ladder and canopy fuel loads for the prevention of wildfire, including catastrophic wildfires. Directs the Secretaries to review public petitions for, and make determinations with respect to, the designation of federal lands as at-risk forests or as threatened and endangered species habitats. Requires notice in the Federal Register of proposed projects and final designated projects and permits public comment on projects as specified. Instructs the Secretaries to prepare an environmental assessment for projects that include timber harvesting or grazing. Instructs the Secretaries to research what impact any listing of a species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 would have on both forage and timber forest fuel loads. Requires endangered species recovery plans and critical habitat determinations to include a wildfire risk assessment analysis.

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Timeline

1. 1 August 2013

   Introduced

   Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

   Source: IntroReferral

2. 1 August 2013

   Introduced

   Introduced in Senate

   Source: IntroReferral

3. 20 November 2013

   Committee

   Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 113-342.

   Source: Committee

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

• Introduced in Senate · 1 August 2013 · Official file

Documents

3 official files

• Introduced in Senate (text)

  Introduced in Senate · EN · 1 August 2013

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

• Introduced in Senate (PDF)

  Introduced in Senate · EN · 1 August 2013

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

• Introduced in Senate

  summary · EN · 1 August 2013

  Open at official source

Sponsors

• Mike Lee · R · Sponsor
• John Barrasso · R · Sponsor
• Sen. Flake, Jeff [R-AZ] · R · Sponsor
• · sseg00 · Standing

Related records

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