Western Wildfire Support Act of 2026

(a) Short title This Act may be cited as the “Western Wildfire Support Act of 2026”.

(b) Table of contents The table of contents for this Act is as follows:

In this Act:

(1) Congressional committees The term congressional committees means—

(A) the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and

(B) the Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.

(2) Federal land The term Federal land means—

(A) land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary;

(B) land held in trust by the United States for the benefit of an Indian Tribe or members of an Indian Tribe; and

(C) National Forest System land.

(3) Fireshed The term fireshed means a geographically delineated landscape, within which a fire ignition would threaten homes, communities, or critical infrastructure.

(4) Forest plan The term forest plan means a land and resource management plan prepared by the Secretary of Agriculture for a unit of the National Forest System pursuant to section 6 of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1604).

(5) Indian Tribe The term Indian Tribe has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).

(6) National forest system

(A) In general The term National Forest System means land of 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))) administered by the Secretary of Agriculture.

(B) Exclusions The term National Forest System does not include—

(i) the national grasslands and land utilization projects administered under title III of the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act (7 U.S.C. 1010 et seq.); or

(ii) any forest reserve not created from the public domain.

(7) Resource management plan The term resource management plan means a land use plan prepared for public lands under section 202 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712).

(8) Secretaries The term Secretaries means—

(A) the Secretary; and

(B) the Secretary of Agriculture.

(9) Secretary The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior.

(10) Secretary concerned The term Secretary concerned means—

(A) the Secretary, in the case of Federal land described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (2); and

(B) the Secretary of Agriculture, in the case of Federal land described in paragraph (2)(C).

(a) Annual reporting Section 104(a) of division O of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (43 U.S.C. 1748a–2(a)), is amended—

(1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking “the fiscal year” and all that follows through “this division,” and inserting “each fiscal year,”; and

(2) in paragraph (1), by striking “report with respect to the additional new budget authority;” and inserting “report on the amounts obligated and the amounts expended from Wildland Fire Management accounts, including any amounts obligated or expended using additional new budget authority under section 251(b)(2)(F) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(b)(2)(F)), in the preceding fiscal year;”.

(b) Inclusions Section 104(b) of division O of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (43 U.S.C. 1748a–2(b)), is amended—

(1) in paragraph (3), in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking “a statistically significant sample of large fires, including an analysis for each fire” and inserting “each catastrophic wildfire described in subsection (c), including an analysis for each such catastrophic wildfire”; and

(2) in paragraph (4), by striking “by fire size” and all that follows through the semicolon at the end and inserting the following: “by—

(A) the total ground-based operations costs;

(B) the total aircraft operations costs;

(C) the total personnel costs;

(D) the total on-incident and off-incident support costs;

(E) the total funding allocated from the Wildland Fire Management account of the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture (as applicable) to pay for administrative costs; and

(F) any other relevant factors, as determined by the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture (as applicable);

(c) Catastrophic wildfire described Section 104 of division O of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (43 U.S.C. 1748a–2), is amended by adding at the end the following:

(c) Catastrophic wildfire described A catastrophic wildfire referred to in subsection (b)(3) is a wildfire incident or wildfire complex that—

(1) requires the mobilization or use of Federal firefighting resources;

(2) burns at least—

(A) 100,000 acres of land; or

(B) 50,000 acres of land, with a 50 percent or greater portion at high severity; and

(3)

(A) results in total suppression costs of $50,000,000 or more;

(B) destroys 1 or more primary residences; or

(C) directly results in the death of 1 or more individuals.

(a) Mutual aid In accordance with section 2 of the Act of May 27, 1955 (42 U.S.C. 1856a) (commonly known as the “Reciprocal Fire Protection Act”), the Secretary of Defense shall seek to enter into reciprocal agreements with State agencies for mutual aid in furnishing fire suppression services.

(b) Reimbursements Each reciprocal agreement entered into under subsection (a) shall provide for the reimbursement of the State agency that is a party to the agreement for fire suppression services provided by the State agency as a result of a fire caused by military training or other planned actions carried out by the Department of Defense in support of military operations.

(c) Limitation Services reimbursable under subsection (b) shall be limited to services directly attributable to the fire for which reimbursement is sought.

(d) Application Each application from a State agency for reimbursement for services under subsection (b) shall provide an itemized request of the services covered by the application, including the costs of the services.

(e) Funds Reimbursements under subsection (b) shall be made from amounts authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Defense for operation and maintenance.

(f) Existing agreements An agreement in effect as of the date of enactment of this Act shall be considered an agreement entered into under subsection (a) if the agreement otherwise meets the requirements of such an agreement under this section.

(a) In general Not later than September 30, 2027, the Secretary concerned shall review existing spatial fire management policies for each fireshed on Federal land and issue, as appropriate, new or revised policies that incorporate the best available science and planning tools.

(b) Requirements Spatial fire management policies issued under subsection (a) shall—

(1) be routinely reviewed and updated as necessary to reflect changes in the fireshed as a result of forest or land management activities or wildfire incidents that have occurred within the applicable fireshed;

(2) identify potential wildfire and smoke risks to first responders, communities, critical infrastructure, and high-value resources;

(3) be consistent with any resource management plan or forest plan developed for the applicable fireshed;

(4) in coordination with the local government, State, or Indian Tribe that includes that fireshed, delineate potential wildland fire operational delineations that—

(A) identify potential wildfire control locations; and

(B) specify the places in which risk to wildfire responders may be elevated as a result of—

(i) exceeding a certain slope for the landscape;

(ii) containing an excess of hazardous fuels such that a threat would be posed under severe fire weather conditions; or

(iii) containing other known hazards;

(5) include a description of the weather conditions for the fireshed that would lead to severe fire weather conditions, including the hot-dry-windy index and other relevant factors; and

(6) include other prefire planning provisions relevant to wildfire response.

(c) Wildfire consideration during land management planning To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary concerned shall include in the development or revision of a resource management plan or forest plan for Federal land containing 1 or more firesheds an employee that was involved in the development of the spatial fire management policies for that fireshed.

(a) In general Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through the Administrator of the U.S. Fire Administration and in coordination with the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, shall—

(1) conduct a study on the gaps in training for structural firefighters in high wildfire risk areas; and

(2) submit to the congressional committees, the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate, and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives a report describing the results of the study conducted under paragraph (1).

(b) Inclusions The report submitted under subsection (a)(2) shall include—

(1) a summary of existing coordination practices between Federal wildland firefighters and State, local, or Tribal firefighters;

(2) an analysis of the differences in best response practices for State, local, or Tribal firefighters when responding to a fire incident that threatens a single structure as compared to a wildfire that threatens a community;

(3) existing training modules, or gaps in existing training modules, available through the National Fire Academy to train State, local, or Tribal firefighters on best response practices for a wildfire that threatens a community;

(4) an estimated cost and spending plan to address any gaps in existing training modules described in paragraph (3);

(5) an examination of the costs to State, local, and Tribal governments in integrating State, local, and Tribal firefighters in wildfire response; and

(6) an examination of ways the Federal Government may integrate State, local, and Tribal firefighters in wildfire response while minimizing the costs for State, local, and Tribal governments.

To the extent practicable, the Secretary concerned shall—

(1) expedite the placement of wildfire detection equipment, such as sensors, cameras, and other relevant equipment, in areas at high risk of wildfire;

(2) expand the use of satellite data to improve wildfire detection and response;

(3) expedite any permitting required by the Secretary concerned for the installation, maintenance, or removal of wildfire detection equipment;

(4) use unmanned aerial vehicles to assess wildland fires in their incipient stages to determine the appropriate initial response actions; and

(5) review permitting described in paragraph (3) and procurement requirements for wildfire detection equipment within the context of modern and innovative technology.

(a) Financial assistance for acquisition of firefighting slip-on tanker units Section 40803(c)(5) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 6592(c)(5)) is amended by inserting “and Indian Tribes” after “local governments”.

(b) Reporting requirement

(1) In general The Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives an annual report on the implementation of section 40803(c)(5) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 6592(c)(5)), including a description of—

(A) the total number of slip-on tanker units purchased with financial assistance provided by the Secretary under that section in the preceding year, by State;

(B) the number of requests received by the Secretary for financial assistance under that section to purchase slip-on tanker units in the preceding year; and

(C) any barriers identified by the Secretary to the ability of local governments and Indian Tribes to participate in the pilot program established under that section.

(2) Timing

(A) Initial report The Secretary shall submit the first report required under paragraph (1) not later than October 1, 2027.

(B) Sunset The requirements of this subsection shall expire on October 1, 2029.

(c) Integration into wildfire response The Secretaries, in coordination with recipients of financial assistance for slip-on tanker units provided under section 40803(c)(5) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (16 U.S.C. 6592(c)(5)), shall—

(1) as practicable, incorporate mobilized slip-on tanker units into resource tracking systems; and

(2) collaborate with the Administrator of the U.S. Fire Administration regarding any necessary training for operators of slip-on tanker units.

(a) Definition of unmanned aircraft system In this section, the term unmanned aircraft system has the meaning given the term in section 44801 of title 49, United States Code.

(b) Research The Secretaries shall, acting through the Joint Fire Science Program, work with universities and other research institutions to carry out research and development on the wildfire response applications of unmanned aircraft systems.

(c) Testing The Secretaries may test an unmanned aircraft system developed under this section at an unmanned aircraft test range in accordance with section 44803 of title 49, United States Code, in coordination with the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration.

(a) Definitions In this section, the terms unmanned aircraft and unmanned aircraft system have the meanings given those terms in section 44801 of title 49, United States Code.

(b) Study required The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, in consultation with the Secretary and the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, shall conduct a study on the effects of unauthorized unmanned aircraft on wildfire suppression with respect to land managed by the Department of the Interior or the Department of Agriculture.

(c) Study contents In conducting the study required under subsection (b), the Secretary of Agriculture shall—

(1) determine, for each of the 5 most recent calendar years—

(A) the number of occurrences in which an unauthorized unmanned aircraft interfered with wildfire suppression; and

(B) the estimated effect of each occurrence described in subparagraph (A) on—

(i) the length of time required to achieve complete suppression;

(ii) any associated delay in the fielding of aerial firefighting response units; and

(iii) the amounts expended by the Federal Government; and

(2) evaluate the feasibility, effectiveness, and safety impacts and results of various actions to prevent unauthorized unmanned aircraft from interfering with wildfire suppression, including—

(A) the deployment of nonkinetic counter-UAS equipment;

(B) the seizure of an unmanned aircraft system, including through the use of kinetic counter-UAS equipment, such as a net; and

(C) the dissemination of educational materials relating to the effects of unauthorized unmanned aircraft on wildfire suppression.

(d) Report Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall submit to the congressional committees, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report describing—

(1) the findings of the study required under subsection (b); and

(2) any recommendations relating to those findings.

(a) In general The Secretaries shall conduct a study on—

(1) necessary improvements to radio communications systems and infrastructure during wildland fire or prescribed fire operations, including—

(A) an assessment of the quality and reliability of existing radio infrastructure;

(B) for any instance in which existing radio communications infrastructure has failed, an assessment of the impacts on forest management or wildfire response activities;

(C) a comparison of existing options to improve on-the-ground communications; and

(D) a cost analysis and estimated timeline to install the most feasible option identified under subparagraph (C);

(2) real-time or near-real-time situational awareness tools for operational firefighters, including—

(A) standards and requirements for such tools to ensure interoperability between Federal firefighting entities and applicable State, local, Tribal, or other partners;

(B) any requirements for additional remote sensing and mapping capabilities to fully leverage such situational awareness tools; and

(C) a cost comparison between commercially available systems and internally developed systems; and

(3) wildland fire and smoke predictive modeling, including—

(A) an analysis of the data required to reduce predictive error for existing or developing models;

(B) an analysis of computing needs to more swiftly or accurately model wildland fire using existing or developing models;

(C) the feasibility of using artificial intelligence for wildland fire and smoke modeling; and

(D) existing or developing wildland fire predictive models that could assist with establishing preferred conditions for igniting a prescribed fire and predicting smoke impacts.

(b) Submission and public availability Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall submit to the congressional committees and make publicly available the results of the study conducted under subsection (a).

(a) Use of services of other agencies Section 201(a) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5131(a)) is amended—

(1) in paragraph (7), by striking the period at the end and inserting “; and”; and

(2) by adding at the end the following:

(8) post-wildfire assistance.

(b) Funding for online guides for assistance Section 201 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5131) is amended by adding at the end the following:

(e) Funding for online guides for assistance

(1) In general The Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency may enter into cooperative agreements to provide funding or technical assistance to a State agency designated or established under subsection (c) to establish, update, or operate a website to provide information relating to post-wildfire recovery funding and resources to a community or an individual impacted by a catastrophic wildfire.

(2) Management A website established, updated, or operated under this subsection shall be—

(A) managed by the State agency; and

(B) suitable for the residents of the State of the State agency.

(3) Content The Administrator may provide funding to a State agency under this subsection to establish, update, or operate a website that provides 1 or more of the following:

(A) A list of Federal, State, and local sources of post-wildfire recovery funding or assistance that may be available to a community after a catastrophic wildfire.

(B) A list of Federal, State, and local sources of post-wildfire recovery funding or assistance that may be available to an individual impacted by a catastrophic wildfire.

(C) A technical guide that lists and explains the costs and benefits of alternatives available to a community to mitigate the impacts of a catastrophic wildfire and prepare for sequential hazards, such as flooding after a wildfire.

(4) Cooperation A State agency that receives funding or technical assistance to establish, update, or operate a website under this subsection shall cooperate with the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the Administrator of the Small Business Administration, and the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in establishing, updating, or operating the website under this subsection.

(5) Updates A State agency that receives funding to establish, update, or operate a website under this subsection shall update the website as necessary to ensure the content is accurate.

(a) In general Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary concerned shall, to the maximum extent practicable, establish 1 or more permanent Burned Area Emergency Response Teams (referred to in this section as a BAER Team) to coordinate immediate post-fire emergency response and stabilization efforts.

(b) Requirements A BAER Team shall—

(1) survey the landscape affected by a wildfire to determine burn severity;

(2) carry out risk assessments—

(A) to determine risks to critical values; and

(B) to identify post-fire emergency situations; and

(3) mitigate risks to critical values, including—

(A) identifying and removing, as necessary, dead or dying trees that may pose an immediate hazard;

(B) stabilizing or removing hazardous materials resulting from a wildfire that may pose an immediate hazard;

(C) conducting emergency landscape stabilization and erosion prevention work, prioritizing efforts that ensure public safety;

(D) preventing the proliferation and spread of invasive species;

(E) assisting with informing the public of post-wildfire hazards;

(F) collaborating, as necessary, with activities under section 303; and

(G) conducting such other work as the Secretary concerned determines to be necessary to identify and address imminent post-wildfire threats to human life and safety, property, and critical natural or cultural resources.

(c) Duration A BAER Team—

(1) to the maximum extent practicable, shall coordinate post-fire emergency response and stabilization efforts for a period of not more than 1 year after the date of containment of a wildfire; and

(2) may monitor and maintain post-fire emergency response and stabilization efforts for a period of not more than 5 years after the date of containment of a wildfire.

(a) Establishment of account There is established in the Treasury of the United States the Long-Term Burned Area Rehabilitation account under the Wildland Fire Management account for the Department of Agriculture, which shall be available to the Secretaries.

(b) Presidential budget requests For fiscal year 2026 and each fiscal year thereafter, the Secretary concerned shall submit through the budget request of the President a request for amounts in the National Forest System appropriation account to carry out the activities described in subsection (c).

(c) Authorized activities The Secretary concerned shall carry out rehabilitation projects located at sites impacted by a wildfire or post-wildfire flooding primarily on Federal land, but may include areas on non-Federal land (with the express consent of the landowner), that—

(1) restore the functions of an ecosystem, including—

(A) identifying areas where natural regeneration is unlikely to occur;

(B) revegetation and reforestation, including coordinating any necessary site preparation, salvage harvesting, and replanting;

(C) watershed restoration;

(D) invasive species mitigation and removal; and

(E) wildlife habitat restoration; or

(2) repair or replace infrastructure or facilities critical for land management activities.

(d) Duration of activities A rehabilitation project under subsection (c) shall—

(1) begin not earlier than the date on which the wildfire was contained; and

(2) be completed, to the extent practicable, not later than 5 years after the date on which the wildfire was contained.

(e) Agreement authority

(1) In general The Secretary concerned may enter into agreements with States, local governments, Indian Tribes, and other non-Federal entities to carry out activities described in subsection (c).

(2) Cost share The non-Federal share of the costs of implementing activities under an agreement entered into under paragraph (1)—

(A) shall be not more than 20 percent; and

(B) may include in-kind contributions.

(3) Savings provision Nothing in this subsection—

(A) requires the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into agreements with non-Federal entities to carry out activities described in subsection (c); or

(B) limits the effect of the prioritization requirements under subsection (f).

(f) Prioritization of funding The Secretary concerned shall prioritize, on a nationwide basis, projects for which funding requests are submitted under this section based on landscape and watershed benefits.