Compiled Sections from H.R.3684 – Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

 (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of 
Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, for the 
activities described in subsection (c), $3,369,200,000 for the period 
of fiscal years 2022 through 2026.
    (b) Treatment.--Of the Federal land or Indian forest land or 
rangeland that has been identified as having a very high wildfire 
hazard potential, the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of 
Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, shall, by 
not later than September 30, 2027, conduct restoration treatments and 
improve the Fire Regime Condition Class of 10,000,000 acres that are 
located in--
        (1) the wildland-urban interface; or
        (2) a public drinking water source area.
    (c) Activities.--Of the amounts made available under subsection (a) 
for the period of fiscal years 2022 through 2026--
        (1) $20,000,000 shall be made available for entering into an 
    agreement with the Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
    Atmospheric Administration to establish and operate a program that 
    makes use of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 
    Program to rapidly detect and report wildfire starts in all areas 
    in which the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of 
    Agriculture has financial responsibility for wildland fire 
    protection and prevention, of which--
            (A) $10,000,000 shall be made available to the Secretary of 
        the Interior; and
            (B) $10,000,000 shall be made available to the Secretary of 
        Agriculture;
        (2) $600,000,000 shall be made available for the salaries and 
    expenses of Federal wildland firefighters in accordance with 
    subsection (d), of which--
            (A) $120,000,000 shall be made available to the Secretary 
        of the Interior; and
            (B) $480,000,000 shall be made available to the Secretary 
        of Agriculture;
        (3) $10,000,000 shall be made available to the Secretary of the 
    Interior to acquire technology and infrastructure for each Type I 
    and Type II incident management team to maintain interoperability 
    with respect to the radio frequencies used by any responding 
    agency;
        (4) $30,000,000 shall be made available to the Secretary of 
    Agriculture to provide financial assistance to States, Indian 
    Tribes, and units of local government to establish and operate 
    Reverse-911 telecommunication systems;
        (5) $50,000,000 shall be made available to the Secretary of the 
    Interior to establish and implement a pilot program to provide to 
    local governments financial assistance for the acquisition of slip-
    on tanker units to establish fleets of vehicles that can be quickly 
    converted to be operated as fire engines;
        (6) $1,200,000 shall be made available to the Secretary of 
    Agriculture, in coordination with the Secretary of the Interior, to 
    develop and publish, not later than 180 days after the date of 
    enactment of this Act, and every 5 years thereafter, a map 
    depicting at-risk communities (as defined in section 101 of the 
    Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6511)), 
    including Tribal at-risk communities;
        (7) $100,000,000 shall be made available to the Secretary of 
    the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture--
            (A) for--
                (i) preplanning fire response workshops that develop--

                    (I) potential operational delineations; and
                    (II) select potential control locations; and

                (ii) workforce training for staff, non-Federal 
            firefighters, and Native village fire crews for--

                    (I) wildland firefighting; and
                    (II) increasing the pace and scale of vegetation 
                treatments, including training on how to prepare and 
                implement large landscape treatments; and

            (B) of which--
                (i) $50,000,000 shall be made available to the 
            Secretary of the Interior; and
                (ii) $50,000,000 shall be made available to the 
            Secretary of Agriculture;
        (8) $20,000,000 shall be made available to the Secretary of 
    Agriculture to enter into an agreement with a Southwest Ecological 
    Restoration Institute established under the Southwest Forest Health 
    and Wildfire Prevention Act of 2004 (16 U.S.C. 6701 et seq.)--
            (A) to compile and display existing data, including 
        geographic data, for hazardous fuel reduction or wildfire 
        prevention treatments undertaken by the Secretary of the 
        Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture, including treatments 
        undertaken with funding provided under this title;
            (B) to compile and display existing data, including 
        geographic data, for large wildfires, as defined by the 
        National Wildfire Coordinating Group, that occur in the United 
        States;
            (C) to facilitate coordination and use of existing and 
        future interagency fuel treatment data, including geographic 
        data, for the purposes of--
                (i) assessing and planning cross-boundary fuel 
            treatments; and
                (ii) monitoring the effects of treatments on wildfire 
            outcomes and ecosystem restoration services, using the data 
            compiled under subparagraphs (A) and (B);
            (D) to publish a report every 5 years showing the extent to 
        which treatments described in subparagraph (A) and previous 
        wildfires affect the boundaries of wildfires, categorized by--
                (i) Federal land management agency;
                (ii) region of the United States; and
                (iii) treatment type; and
            (E) to carry out other related activities of a Southwest 
        Ecological Restoration Institute, as authorized by the 
        Southwest Forest Health and Wildfire Prevention Act of 2004 (16 
        U.S.C. 6701 et seq.);
        (9) $20,000,000 shall be available for activities conducted 
    under the Joint Fire Science Program, of which--
            (A) $10,000,000 shall be made available to the Secretary of 
        the Interior; and
            (B) $10,000,000 shall be made available to the Secretary of 
        Agriculture;
        (10) $100,000,000 shall be made available to the Secretary of 
    Agriculture for collaboration and collaboration-based activities, 
    including facilitation, certification of collaboratives, and 
    planning and implementing projects under the Collaborative Forest 
    Landscape Restoration Program established under section 4003 of the 
    Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (16 U.S.C. 7303) in 
    accordance with subsection (e);
        (11) $500,000,000 shall be made available to the Secretary of 
    the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture--
            (A) for--
                (i) conducting mechanical thinning and timber 
            harvesting in an ecologically appropriate manner that 
            maximizes the retention of large trees, as appropriate for 
            the forest type, to the extent that the trees promote fire-
            resilient stands; or
                (ii) precommercial thinning in young growth stands for 
            wildlife habitat benefits to provide subsistence resources; 
            and
            (B) of which--
                (i) $100,000,000 shall be made available to the 
            Secretary of the Interior; and
                (ii) $400,000,000 shall be made available to the 
            Secretary of Agriculture;
        (12) $500,000,000 shall be made available to the Secretary of 
    Agriculture, in cooperation with States, to award community 
    wildfire defense grants to at-risk communities in accordance with 
    subsection (f);
        (13) $500,000,000 shall be made available for planning and 
    conducting prescribed fires and related activities, of which--
            (A) $250,000,000 shall be made available to the Secretary 
        of the Interior; and
            (B) $250,000,000 shall be made available to the Secretary 
        of Agriculture;
        (14) $500,000,000 shall be made available for developing or 
    improving potential control locations, in accordance with paragraph 
    (7)(A)(i)(II), including installing fuelbreaks (including 
    fuelbreaks studied under subsection (i)), with a focus on shaded 
    fuelbreaks when ecologically appropriate, of which--
            (A) $250,000,000 shall be made available to the Secretary 
        of the Interior; and
            (B) $250,000,000 shall be made available to the Secretary 
        of Agriculture;
        (15) $200,000,000 shall be made available for contracting or 
    employing crews of laborers to modify and remove flammable 
    vegetation on Federal land and for using materials from treatments, 
    to the extent practicable, to produce biochar and other innovative 
    wood products, including through the use of existing locally based 
    organizations that engage young adults, Native youth, and veterans 
    in service projects, such as youth and conservation corps, of 
    which--
            (A) $100,000,000 shall be made available to the Secretary 
        of the Interior; and
            (B) $100,000,000 shall be made available to the Secretary 
        of Agriculture;
        (16) $200,000,000 shall be made available for post-fire 
    restoration activities that are implemented not later than 3 years 
    after the date that a wildland fire is contained, of which--
            (A) $100,000,000 shall be made available to the Secretary 
        of the Interior; and
            (B) $100,000,000 shall be made available to the Secretary 
        of Agriculture;
        (17) $8,000,000 shall be made available to the Secretary of 
    Agriculture--
            (A) to provide feedstock to firewood banks; and
            (B) to provide financial assistance for the operation of 
        firewood banks; and
        (18) $10,000,000 shall be available to the Secretary of the 
    Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture for the procurement and 
    placement of wildfire detection and real-time monitoring equipment, 
    such as sensors, cameras, and other relevant equipment, in areas at 
    risk of wildfire or post-burned areas.
    (d) Wildland Firefighters.--
        (1) In general.--Subject to the availability of appropriations, 
    not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 
    the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture 
    shall, using the amounts made available under subsection (c)(2), 
    coordinate with the Director of the Office of Personnel Management 
    to develop a distinct ``wildland firefighter'' occupational series.
        (2) Hazardous duty differential not affected.--Section 
    5545(d)(1) of title 5, United States Code, is amended by striking 
    ``except'' and all that follows through ``and'' at the end and 
    inserting the following: ``except--
            ``(A) an employee in an occupational series covering 
        positions for which the primary duties involve the prevention, 
        control, suppression, or management of wildland fires, as 
        determined by the Office; and
            ``(B) in such other circumstances as the Office may by 
        regulation prescribe; and''.
        (3) Current employees.--Any individual employed as a wildland 
    firefighter on the date on which the occupational series 
    established under paragraph (1) takes effect may elect--
            (A) to remain in the occupational series in which the 
        individual is employed; or
            (B) to be included in the ``wildland firefighter'' 
        occupational series established under that paragraph.
        (4) Permanent employees; increase in salary.--Using the amounts 
    made available under subsection (c)(2), beginning October 1, 2021, 
    the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture 
    shall--
            (A) seek to convert not fewer than 1,000 seasonal wildland 
        firefighters to wildland firefighters that--
                (i) are full-time, permanent, year-round Federal 
            employees; and
                (ii) reduce hazardous fuels on Federal land not fewer 
            than 800 hours per year; and
            (B) increase the base salary of a Federal wildland 
        firefighter by the lesser of an amount that is commensurate 
        with an increase of $20,000 per year or an amount equal to 50 
        percent of the base salary, if the Secretary concerned, in 
        coordination with the Director of the Office of Personnel 
        Management, makes a written determination that the position of 
        the Federal wildland firefighter is located within a specified 
        geographic area in which it is difficult to recruit or retain a 
        Federal wildland firefighter.
        (5) National wildfire coordinating group.--Using the amounts 
    made available under subsection (c)(2), not later than October 1, 
    2022, the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of 
    Agriculture shall--
            (A) develop and adhere to recommendations for mitigation 
        strategies for wildland firefighters to minimize exposure due 
        to line-of-duty environmental hazards; and
            (B) establish programs for permanent, temporary, seasonal, 
        and year-round wildland firefighters to recognize and address 
        mental health needs, including post-traumatic stress disorder 
        care.
    (e) Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program.--Subject to 
the availability of appropriations, not later than 180 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall, 
using the amounts made available under subsection (c)(10)--
        (1) solicit new project proposals under the Collaborative 
    Forest Landscape Restoration Program established under section 4003 
    of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (16 U.S.C. 7303) 
    (referred to in this subsection as the ``Program'');
        (2) provide up to 5 years of additional funding of any proposal 
    originally selected for funding under the Program prior to 
    September 30, 2018--
            (A) that has been approved for an extension of funding by 
        the Secretary of Agriculture prior to the date of enactment of 
        this Act; or
            (B) that has been recommended for an extension of funding 
        by the advisory panel established under section 4003(e) of the 
        Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (16 U.S.C. 7303(e)) 
        prior to the date of enactment of this Act that the Secretary 
        of Agriculture subsequently approves; and
        (3) select project proposals for funding under the Program in a 
    manner that--
            (A) gives priority to a project proposal that will treat 
        acres that--
                (i) have been identified as having very high wildfire 
            hazard potential; and
                (ii) are located in--

                    (I) the wildland-urban interface; or
                    (II) a public drinking water source area;

            (B) takes into consideration--
                (i) the cost per acre of Federal land or Indian forest 
            land or rangeland acres described in subparagraph (A) to be 
            treated; and
                (ii) the number of acres described in subparagraph (A) 
            to be treated;
            (C) gives priority to a project proposal that is proposed 
        by a collaborative that has successfully accomplished 
        treatments consistent with a written plan that included a 
        proposed schedule of completing those treatments, which is not 
        limited to an earlier proposal funded under the Program; and
            (D) discontinues funding for a project that fails to 
        achieve the results included in a project proposal submitted 
        under paragraph (1) for more than 2 consecutive years.
    (f) Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program.--
        (1) Establishment.--Subject to the availability of 
    appropriations, not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 
    of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall, using amounts made 
    available under subsection (c)(12), establish a program, which 
    shall be separate from the program established under section 203 of 
    the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
    (42 U.S.C. 5133), under which the Secretary of Agriculture, in 
    cooperation with the States, shall award grants to at-risk 
    communities, including Indian Tribes--
            (A) to develop or revise a community wildfire protection 
        plan; and
            (B) to carry out projects described in a community wildfire 
        protection plan that is not more than 10 years old.
        (2) Priority.--In awarding grants under the program described 
    in paragraph (1), the Secretary of Agriculture shall give priority 
    to an at-risk community that is--
            (A) in an area identified by the Secretary of Agriculture 
        as having high or very high wildfire hazard potential;
            (B) a low-income community; or
            (C) a community impacted by a severe disaster.
        (3) Community wildfire defense grants.--
            (A) Grant amounts.--A grant--
                (i) awarded under paragraph (1)(A) shall be for not 
            more than $250,000; and
                (ii) awarded under paragraph (1)(B) shall be for not 
            more than $10,000,000.
            (B) Cost sharing requirement.--
                (i) In general.--Except as provided in clause (ii), the 
            non-Federal cost (including the administrative cost) of 
            carrying out a project using funds from a grant awarded 
            under the program described in paragraph (1) shall be--

                    (I) not less than 10 percent for a grant awarded 
                under paragraph (1)(A); and
                    (II) not less than 25 percent for a grant awarded 
                under paragraph (1)(B).

                (ii) Waiver.--The Secretary of Agriculture may waive 
            the cost-sharing requirement under clause (i) for a project 
            that serves an underserved community.
            (C) Eligibility.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall not 
        award a grant under paragraph (1) to an at-risk community that 
        is located in a county or community that--
                (i) is located in the continental United States; and
                (ii) has not adopted an ordinance or regulation that 
            requires the construction of new roofs on buildings to 
            adhere to standards that are similar to, or more stringent 
            than--

                    (I) the roof construction standards established by 
                the National Fire Protection Association; or
                    (II) an applicable model building code established 
                by the International Code Council.

    (g) Priorities.--In carrying out projects using amounts made 
available under this section, the Secretary of the Interior or the 
Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest 
Service, as applicable, shall prioritize funding for projects--
        (1) for which any applicable processes under the National 
    Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) have been 
    completed on the date of enactment of this Act;
        (2) that reduce the likelihood of experiencing 
    uncharacteristically severe effects from a potential wildfire by 
    focusing on areas strategically important for reducing the risks 
    associated with wildfires;
        (3) that maximize the retention of large trees, as appropriate 
    for the forest type, to the extent that the trees promote fire-
    resilient stands;
        (4) that do not include the establishment of permanent roads;
        (5) for which funding would be committed to decommission all 
    temporary roads constructed to carry out the project; and
        (6) that fully maintain or contribute toward the restoration of 
    the structure and composition of old growth stands consistent with 
    the characteristics of that forest type, taking into account the 
    contribution of the old growth stand to landscape fire adaption and 
    watershed health, unless the old growth stand is part of a science-
    based ecological restoration project authorized by the Secretary 
    concerned that meets applicable protection and old growth 
    enhancement objectives, as determined by the Secretary concerned.
    (h) Reports.-- The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of 
Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, shall 
complete and 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 describing the number of acres of land 
on which projects carried out using funds made available under this 
section improved the Fire Regime Condition Class of the land described 
in subsection (b).
    (i) Wildfire Prevention Study.--
        (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
    enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall initiate 
    a study of the construction and maintenance of a system of 
    strategically placed fuelbreaks to control wildfires in western 
    States.
        (2) Review.--The study under paragraph (1) shall review--
            (A) a full suite of manual, chemical, and mechanical 
        treatments; and
            (B) the effectiveness of the system described in that 
        paragraph in reducing wildfire risk and protecting communities.
        (3) Determination.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
    completion of the study under paragraph (1), the Secretary of 
    Agriculture shall determine whether to initiate the preparation of 
    a programmatic environmental impact statement implementing the 
    system described in that paragraph in appropriate locations.
    (j) Monitoring, Maintenance, and Treatment Plan and Strategy.--
        (1) In general.--Not later than 120 days after the date of 
    enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture and the 
    Secretary of the Interior shall establish a 5-year monitoring, 
    maintenance, and treatment plan that--
            (A) describes activities under subsection (c) that the 
        Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior will 
        take to reduce the risk of wildfire by conducting restoration 
        treatments and improving the Fire Regime Condition Class of 
        10,000,000 acres of Federal land or Tribal Forest land or 
        rangeland that is identified as having very high wildfire 
        hazard potential, not including annual treatments otherwise 
        scheduled;
            (B) establishes a process for prioritizing treatments in 
        areas and communities at the highest risk of catastrophic 
        wildfires;
            (C) includes an innovative plan and process--
                (i) to leverage public-private partnerships and 
            resources, shared stewardship agreements, good neighbor 
            agreements, and similar contracting authorities;
                (ii) to prioritize projects for which any applicable 
            processes under the National Environmental Policy Act of 
            1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) have been completed as of the 
            date of enactment of this Act;
                (iii) to streamline subsequent projects based on 
            existing statutory or regulatory authorities; and
                (iv) to develop interagency teams to increase 
            coordination and efficiency under the National 
            Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321); and
            (D) establishes a process for coordinating prioritization 
        and treatment with State and local entities and affected 
        stakeholders.
        (2) Strategy.--Not later than 5 years after the date of 
    enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture and the 
    Secretary of the Interior, in coordination with State and local 
    governments, shall publish a long-term, outcome-based monitoring, 
    maintenance, and treatment strategy--
            (A) to maintain forest health improvements and wildfire 
        risk reduction accomplished under this section;
            (B) to continue treatment at levels necessary to address 
        the 20,000,000 acres needing priority treatment over the 10-
        year period beginning on the date of publication of the 
        strategy; and
            (C) to proactively conduct treatment at a level necessary 
        to minimize the risk of wildfire to surrounding at-risk 
        communities.
    (k) Authorized Hazardous Fuels Projects.--A project carried out 
using funding authorized under paragraphs (11)(A)(i), (13), or (14) of 
subsection (c) shall be considered an authorized hazardous fuel 
reduction project pursuant to section 102 of the Healthy Forests 
Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6512).