Sec. 70204. DUTIES OF COMMISSION
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## SEC. 70204 DUTIES OF COMMISSION ###
(a)Report on Recommendations to Mitigate and Manage Wildland Fires ####
(1)In general Not later than 1 year after the date of the first meeting of the Commission, the Commission shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report describing recommendations to prevent, mitigate, suppress, and manage wildland fires, including— #####
(A)policy recommendations, including recommendations— ######
(i)to maximize the protection of human life, community water supplies, homes, and other essential structures, which may include recommendations to expand the use of initial attack strategies; ######
(ii)to facilitate efficient short- and long-term forest management in residential and nonresidential at-risk areas, which may include a review of community wildfire protection plans; ######
(iii)to manage the wildland-urban interface; ######
(iv)to manage utility corridors; ######
(v)to rehabilitate land devastated by wildland fire; and ######
(vi)to improve the capacity of the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to conduct hazardous fuels reduction projects; #####
(B)policy recommendations described in subparagraph
(A)with respect to any recommendations for— ######
(i)categorical exclusions from the requirement to prepare an environmental impact statement or analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.); or ######
(ii)additional staffing or resources that may be necessary to more expeditiously prepare an environmental impact statement or analysis under that Act; #####
(C)policy recommendations for modernizing and expanding the use of technology, including satellite technology, remote sensing, unmanned aircraft systems, and any other type of emerging technology, to prevent, mitigate, suppress, and manage wildland fires, including any recommendations with respect to— ######
(i)the implementation of section 1114 of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act (43 U.S.C. 1748b-1); or ######
(ii)improving early wildland fire detection; #####
(D)an assessment of Federal spending on wildland fire-related disaster management, including— ######
(i)a description and assessment of Federal grant programs for States and units of local government for pre- and post-wildland fire disaster mitigation and recovery, including— ######
(I)the amount of funding provided under each program; ######
(II)the effectiveness of each program with respect to long-term forest management and maintenance; and ######
(III)recommendations to improve the effectiveness of each program, including with respect to— ######
(aa)the conditions on the use of funds received under the program; and ######
(bb)the extent to which additional funds are necessary for the program; ######
(ii)an evaluation, including recommendations to improve the effectiveness in mitigating wildland fires, which may include authorizing prescribed fires, of— ######
(I)the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program under section 203 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133); ######
(II)the Pre-Disaster Mitigation program under that section (42 U.S.C. 5133); ######
(III)the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program under section 404 of that Act (42 U.S.C. 5170c); ######
(IV)Hazard Mitigation Grant Program post-fire assistance under sections 404 and 420 of that Act (42 U.S.C. 5170c, 5187); and ######
(V)such other programs as the Commission determines to be appropriate; ######
(iii)an assessment of the definition of “small impoverished community” under section 203(a) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133(a)), specifically— ######
(I)the exclusion of the percentage of land owned by an entity other than a State or unit of local government; and ######
(II)any related economic impact of that exclusion; and ######
(iv)recommendations for Federal budgeting for wildland fires and post-wildfire recovery; #####
(E)any recommendations for matters under subparagraph (A), (B), (C), or
(D)specific to— ######
(i)forest type, vegetation type, or forest and vegetation type; or ######
(ii)State land, Tribal land, or private land; #####
(F)######
(i)a review of the national strategy described in the report entitled “The National Strategy: The Final Phase in the Development of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy” and dated April 2014; and ######
(ii)any recommendations for changes to that national strategy to improve its effectiveness; and #####
(G)######
(i)an evaluation of coordination of response to, and suppression of, wildfires occurring on Federal, Tribal, State, and local land among Federal, Tribal, State, and local agencies with jurisdiction over that land; and ######
(ii)any recommendations to improve the coordination described in clause (i). ####
(2)Specific policy recommendations To the maximum extent practicable, the report described in paragraph
(1)shall include detailed short- and long-term policy recommendations, including any recommendations for Federal legislation. ####
(3)Interim reports Before the submission of the report under paragraph (1), on approval of all members of the Commission, the Commission may submit to the appropriate committees of Congress 1 or more interim reports, as the Commission determines to be appropriate, relating to any matters described in paragraph (1). ###
(b)Report on Aerial Wildland Firefighting Equipment Strategy and Inventory Assessment ####
(1)Submission of inventory to the commission Not later than 45 days after the date on which the Commission holds the first meeting of the Commission, the Secretary of Defense and the heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies shall submit to the Commission an inventory of surplus cargo and passenger aircraft and excess common-use aircraft parts that may be used for wildland firefighting purposes, excluding any aircraft or aircraft parts that are— #####
(A)reasonably anticipated to be necessary for military operations, readiness, or fleet management in the future; or #####
(B)already obligated for purposes other than fighting wildland fires. ####
(2)Submission of report to congress Not later than 90 days after the date on which the Commission receives the inventory described in paragraph (1), the Commission shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report outlining a strategy to meet aerial firefighting equipment needs through 2030 in the most cost-effective manner, including— #####
(A)an assessment of the expected number of aircraft and aircraft parts needed to fight wildland fires through 2030; #####
(B)an assessment of existing authorities of the Secretary of Defense and the heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies to provide or sell surplus aircraft or aircraft parts to Federal, State, or local authorities for wildland firefighting use, including— ######
(i)a description of the current use of each existing authority; and ######
(ii)a description of any additional authorities that are needed for the Secretary of Defense and the heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies to provide or sell surplus aircraft or aircraft parts to Federal, State, or local authorities for wildland firefighting use; and #####
(C)recommendations to ensure the availability of aircraft and aircraft parts that the Commission expects will be necessary to fight wildland fires through 2030 in the most cost-effective manner. ####
(3)Considerations for accessing aircraft and aircraft parts In developing the strategy in the report required under paragraph
(2)and the recommendations under paragraph (2)(C), the Commission shall consider all private and public sector options for accessing necessary aircraft and aircraft parts, including procurement, contracting, retrofitting, and public-private partnerships. ####
(4)Unclassified report The inventory and report submitted under paragraphs
(1)and (2), respectively— #####
(A)shall be unclassified; but #####
(B)may include a classified annex. ###
(c)Majority Requirement Not less than ⅔ of the members of the Commission shall approve the recommendations contained in each report submitted under subsection
(a)or (b)(2).
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