HR6154-119

What This Bill Does

The Regional Leadership in Wildland Fire Research Act creates a regional research infrastructure for wildfire science. It defines wildland fire research to include causes and consequences of fires, spread and behavior including in the wildland-urban interface, mitigation efficacy, public health, safety, environmental impacts, ecosystem rehabilitation and restoration, and safety strategies for fire managers and firefighters. The Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior must competitively select at least eight institutions of higher education or land-grant colleges and universities to host regional wildland fire research centers. The rollout begins with a pilot program of at least two centers as soon as practicable subject to appropriations, followed by the remaining centers within two years after the pilot. Centers must be placed in Alaska, California, the Pacific Northwest, Pacific Islands, Plains and Northeast, Rockies, Southeast, and Southwest. Selection priority goes to institutions with existing wildland fire research, federal and academic partnerships, Joint Fire Science Program participation, or minority-serving institution status. Centers must coordinate with federal science agencies and research entities such as EPA, NOAA, NSF, NASA, DOE, Forest Service R&D, National Laboratories, USGS, and State or regional organizations; develop models and tools for fire potential, spread, behavior, smoke, vegetation response, decision support, mitigation, smoke impacts, and post-fire landscape risk; support land management, firefighters, incident teams, communities, and workforce career pathways through a National Center Coordination Board.

Who Benefits and How

Universities and land-grant colleges benefit from competitive opportunities to host regional wildland fire research centers. Wildland fire managers and firefighters benefit from applied models, decision-support tools, smoke prediction, mitigation research, and safety improvements. Communities exposed to wildfire and smoke benefit if regional research improves mitigation, preparedness, and post-fire recovery. Federal and State science agencies benefit from coordinated regional research partnerships. Minority-serving institutions benefit from priority consideration when they meet selection criteria.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Agriculture and Interior staff must run the competitive selection process, establish pilot and full center networks, and coordinate the National Center Coordination Board. Host institutions must coordinate research, develop tools, work with federal and regional partners, and support workforce pathways. Federal science agencies and wildland fire management agencies must coordinate with regional centers. Federal taxpayers bear appropriated costs for establishing and operating the centers. The Secretaries must ensure geographic coverage across eight specified U.S. regions.

Key Provisions

• Requires competitive selection of at least eight regional wildland fire research centers.
• Requires pilot establishment of at least two centers before full regional rollout.
• Requires centers in Alaska, California, the Pacific Northwest, Pacific Islands, Plains and Northeast, Rockies, Southeast, and Southwest.
• Prioritizes institutions with existing wildfire research, partnerships, Joint Fire Science Program participation, or minority-serving status.
• Requires centers to develop wildfire models, smoke tools, mitigation research, decision support, and workforce pathways.
• Requires coordination through Agriculture, Interior, federal science agencies, and a National Center Coordination Board.