The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Federal legislation directs USDA and Interior to increase prescribed fire acreage by 10% annually and establishes a collaborative burn program
Last action · September 17, 2026: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 635.Sponsors: Ron Wyden and 5 others
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What This Bill Would Do
The National Act of 2025 directs the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior to increase prescribed fire acreage on federal lands by 10 percent each year for ten years. The bill establishes a Collaborative Prescribed Fire Program, provides funding flexibility using up to 15 percent of hazardous fuels management appropriations, and streamlines air quality and environmental reviews for burn projects.
Federal land management agencies must expand controlled burn operations across millions of acres while coordinating with state, tribal, and local partners, potentially altering wildfire risk mitigation and smoke management for nearby communities.
- Prescribed fires are intentionally set controlled burns used by land managers to clear accumulated underbrush, reduce hazardous fuels, and restore fire-adapted ecosystems. context
- The Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management oversee vast tracts of public lands in the western and southeastern United States where wildfire risks have escalated. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Wildland firefighters
Federal firefighters and seasonal staff become eligible for hazard pay during prescribed burns, potential permanent conversion, and specialized training programs.
Indian Tribes
Tribes are eligible for grants, cooperative agreements, training center support, and participation in collaborative burn programs recognizing cultural burning practices.
State and local air quality agencies
Agencies receive technical assistance, modeling data, and streamlined exceptional event demonstration processes from the EPA for smoke management.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main goal of the National Prescribed Fire Act of 2025?
How are non-federal burn practitioners protected from liability under this bill?
What funding is available for collaborative prescribed fire projects?
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently on floor. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Passed.
Procedural history
5 actions- Sep 17, 2026SenatePlaced on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 635.
- Sep 17, 2026SenateCommittee on Energy and Natural Resources. Reported by Senator Lee with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
- Dec 17, 2025SenateCommittee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- Jun 10, 2025SenateCommitteeRead twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
- Jun 10, 2025SenateIntroducedIntroduced in Senate
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Mandatory Scaled Increase in Prescribed Burning
The legislation introduces a rigid 10 percent cumulative annual increase requirement for federal prescribed fire acreage over a ten-year period.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.congress.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance85How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz50Current news / social attention level
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