S. 350 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the Senate, sent to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Jan 30, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryStrengthens wildfire prevention and forest recovery
This bill supports multiple approaches to dealing with wildfires and their effects. The Forest Service would run a pilot program using private investment to restore national forests, while the Department of Energy would help hospitals and other critical facilities stay powered during extreme weather. The bill also expands a home weatherization program to include fire-resistant materials, sets up training centers for wildfire management in western states, and creates grants for forestry jobs and community land stewardship.
How it affects you
If you live in a western state near forests, you might see new training programs and community efforts to reduce wildfire risk. Homeowners could get financial help to upgrade their homes with fire-resistant materials. Hospital staff and patients would benefit from better backup power during extreme weather. The bill mainly directs federal agencies to start new programs rather than creating direct changes for most Americans immediately.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, Jan 30, 2025)
Wildfire Emergency Act of 2025
This bill establishes additional support for forest restoration, the power needs of critical facilities (e.g., hospitals) during extreme weather events, and wildfire mitigation and management.
The bill directs the Forest Service to conduct a 10-year pilot program to carry out up to 20 conservation finance projects to protect, restore, or improve National Forest System land. Such conservation finance projects must (1) leverage other federal or nonfederal investments in addition to funds provided by the Forest Service; and (2) use loaned capital from an investor to cover up-front project costs, with the loaned capital repaid over time by conservation finance project beneficiaries.
The Department of Energy (DOE) must establish a program to improve the energy resilience and energy efficiency of critical facilities (e.g., hospitals).
The bill expands DOE's Weatherization Assistance Program to include support for the use of fire-resistant materials and to increase the amount of financial assistance that may be provided to households for increasing the energy efficiency of their homes.
The bill directs the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior to take certain actions related to detecting and monitoring wildfires.
The Forest Service and Interior must also establish one or more centers in western states to train individuals in methods relevant to the mitigation of wildfire risk.
Additionally, the Forest Service must establish a grant program to support workforce development in forestry and fire management.
Finally, the Forest Service may issue grants to increase community capacity for certain land stewardship activities.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionS. 350
A BILL
Wildfire Emergency Act of 2025
Sponsor: Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) · Introduced Jan 30, 2025 · Public Lands and Natural Resources · 2 versions of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Jul 17, 2025: “Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.”
Sections
The wording of this bill hasn’t changed across its 2 official versions.