Advanced capabilities for emergency response operations

(a) In general The Administrator shall leverage NASA-developed tools and technologies to conduct research and development activities under the Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations (ACERO) project, or appropriate successor project or projects, to improve aerial responses to wildfires. (b) Goals The research and development activities conducted under subsection (a) may include the following: (1) Advanced aircraft technologies and airspace management efforts to assist in the management, deconfliction, and coordination of aerial assets during wildfire response efforts. (2) Information sharing and real-time data exchange for wildfire response teams. (3) Development of an interoperable platform to provide situational awareness of aerial assets during wildfire response. (4) Establishment of a multi-agency concept of operations, which may involve Federal, State, and local government agencies, to enable coordination of aerial activities for wildfire response. (c) Collaboration In carrying out this section, the Administrator— (1) may coordinate and collaborate with other Federal, State, and local government agencies, regional organizations, and commercial partners and academic institutions involved in wildfire management; and (2) shall, to the maximum extent practicable, consult with the heads of other Federal departments and agencies to avoid duplication of activities. (d) Prohibition (1) In general Except as provided in this subsection, the Administrator may not procure an unmanned aircraft system to conduct activities described in this section if such unmanned aircraft system is manufactured or assembled by a covered foreign entity. (2) Exemption The Administrator may waive the prohibition under paragraph (1) on a case-by-case basis if the Administrator— (A) determines that the procurement of an unmanned aircraft system is— (i) in the national interest of the United States; and (ii) necessary for the sole purpose of improving aerial responses to wildfires; and (B) notifies the appropriate committees of Congress not later than 30 days after a determination in the affirmative under subparagraph (A). (e) Annual reports Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act and annually thereafter until December 31, 2031, the Administrator shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report describing the activities, including results, carried out pursuant to this section. Each such report, at minimum, shall contain the following: (1) A description of any research and development activities. (2) A description of the Administrator’s activities pursuant to subsection (c). (3) An identification of any topics related to improvement of aerial responses to wildfires that could benefit from further research. (4) A description of any continuing efforts under this section. (5) Any other information determined appropriate by the Administrator. (f) Definition In this section, the term covered foreign entity has the meaning given such term in section 1832 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 118–31).