Public Lands, Forests, and Mining

Reversionary Interest Conveyance Act

Reversionary Interest Conveyance Act This bill directs the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to offer to sell the reversionary interest of the United States in approximately 8.43 acres of land in Sacramento, California, as generally depicted on a specified map dated November 7, 2022. Within two years of receiving a request from the owner of the land, the BLM must offer the reversionary interest and convey the reversionary interest to the buyer upon payment. The payment must be in an amount that is at least the fair market value of the reversionary interest. The buyer must also pay all costs related to the applicable conveyance of the reversionary interest, including all surveys, appraisals, and other administrative costs. The bill subjects the conveyance to valid existing rights. The proceeds from the sale must be deposited into Federal Land Disposal Account.

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.

ACRES Act

Accurately Counting Risk Elimination Solutions Act or the ACRES Act This bill establishes requirements regarding reports about hazardous fuels reduction activities and standardized procedures for tracking data for hazardous fuels reduction. Hazardous fuels reduction activities means any vegetation management activities that reduce the risk of wildfire but excludes the award of contracts to conduct hazardous fuels reduction activities. First, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of the Interior must include in the materials submitted in support of the President's budget each fiscal year a report on the number of acres of federal land on which such activities were carried out during the preceding year. Next, USDA and Interior must implement standardized procedures for tracking data related to such activities. The standardized procedures must include regular, standardized data reviews of the accuracy and timely input of data used to track hazardous fuels reduction activities; verification methods that validate whether such data accurately correlates to such activities; an analysis of the short- and long-term effectiveness of such activities on reducing the risk of wildfire; and for hazardous fuels reduction activities that occur partially within the wildland-urban interface, methods to distinguish which acres are located within and which located outside the wildland-urban interface. Finally, the Government Accountability Office must (1) conduct a study on this bill's implementation, and (2) submit a report to Congress with the results of the study.

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.

Wabeno Economic Development Act

Wabeno Economic Development Act This bill requires the Forest Service to convey approximately 14 acres of federal land, including the mineral rights, in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Wisconsin, to Tony's Wabeno Redi-Mix, LLC, upon receiving an offer to buy the land for market value. The Forest Service must complete an appraisal to determine the market value of the land, and the offer must be received within 180 days after federal approval of such appraisal. Tony's Wabeno Redi-Mix, LLC, must pay an amount equal to the market value of the land and all associated costs as a condition of conveyance. Additionally, the Department of the Interior must publish a comprehensive review of the federal permitting processes for the development of stone, sand, and gravel on federal lands.

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held.

Truckee Meadows Public Lands Management Act

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held.

EARA

Expedited Appeals Review Act or the EARA This bill authorizes a party that files an appeal of a Department of the Interior decision with the Interior Board of Land Appeals to submit a written request for expedited review of the appeal. (The mission of the board is to provide an impartial forum within Interior for the resolution of disputes involving public lands and natural resources under Interior's jurisdiction.) If a party submits such a request, the board must issue a final decision on the appeal not later than six months after the date on which the request for expedited review was received. However, the deadline may not be earlier than 18 months after the date on which the appeal was initially filed with the board. If the deadline for expedited review is not met, Interior's decision is deemed a final agency action and is subject to de novo judicial review (i.e., without deference to the agency's decision). This bill applies to appeals pending as of the date of enactment of this bill and appeals filed after the date of enactment.

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held.

A bill to redesignate the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center in Casper, Wyoming, as the "Barbara L. Cubin National Historic Trails Interpretive Center".

This bill renames the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center located in Casper, Wyoming, as the Barbara L. Cubin National Historic Trails Interpretive Center.

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.

Historic Roadways Protection Act

Historic Roadways Protection Act This bill prohibits the Bureau for Land Management (BLM) from closing historical roads on public lands in certain areas of Utah until the Federal District Court for Utah makes a decision on each of the R.S. 2477 cases, which are cases brought by Utah and counties to keep historical roads on BLM land in Utah open for public use. By way of background, a provision of the Mining Law of 1866, commonly known as R.S. 2477, granted rights-of-way to states and counties across public lands for the construction of roads for public use in order to promote settlement of the American West. In 1976, Congress repealed R.S. 2477 when it enacted the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), but FLPMA preserved rights-of-way that had been established under R.S. 2477. After the BLM released travel management plans that closed some historical roads, Utah and 22 counties filed lawsuits about their rights-of-way across public lands for historical roads. Until the BLM certifies that those cases have been decided, the bill prohibits the BLM from obligating or expending federal funds to (1) finalize or implement a new travel management plan for certain travel management areas in Utah; or (2) implement, with respect to land within the boundary of Utah, the Indian Creek (Canyon Rims) Travel Management Plan, the San Rafael Desert Travel Management Plan, the San Rafael Swell Travel Management Plan, or the Labyrinth/Gemini Bridges Travel Management Plan.

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.

Western Wildfire Support Act of 2025

Western Wildfire Support Act of 2025 This bill addresses wildfires by authorizing post-fire recovery activities, supporting adoption of technology, and requiring additional federal coordination. The bill authorizes federal wildfire response and recovery activities by providing statutory authority for Burned Area Emergency Response Teams to coordinate emergency stabilization and erosion planning, and establishing an account to fund federal rehabilitation projects in areas impacted by a wildfire (e.g., ecosystem restoration, replacing infrastructure critical for land management). Additionally, for all hazard types, the bill includes post-disaster assistance in the federal disaster preparedness program and authorizes assistance to states for operating websites to provide information on post-disaster recovery resources. The bill requires federal agencies to develop and utilize technologies for managing wildfires by expediting the permitting and use of wildfire detection equipment (e.g., sensors, cameras); providing funding to Indian tribes for slip-on tanker units that convert vehicles into fire engines; performing research and development on wildfire response applications of unmanned aircraft systems (e.g., drones); studying radio communications systems, situational awareness tools, and wildland fire predictive modeling; and administering a prize competition for technological innovation for managing wildfire-related invasive species. The bill directs federal agencies to plan and coordinate on wildfire management by incorporating the best available science and planning tools into spatial fire management policies for federal lands, collaborating with state agencies for mutual aid in fire suppression (including reimbursing states for suppressing fires caused by military operations), and studying training gaps for integrating structural (e.g., local) firefighters into wildfire response.

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.