To amend the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out emergency watershed protection measures on National Forest System land, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
The Watershed Protection and Forest Recovery Act of 2025 amends the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to create a new Emergency Forest Watershed Program. The program authorizes the Forest Service to partner with state, local, and tribal government sponsors and water districts to undertake emergency watershed protection measures on National Forest System land following natural disasters. Key features include: waived matching requirements (100% federal funding), liability protections for sponsors (except in cases of willful negligence), a 2-year project completion timeline with 3-year monitoring, NEPA compliance streamlining by treating measures as emergency response actions, and coordination with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The bill also makes conforming amendments to existing watershed protection statutes.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out emergency watershed protection measures on National Forest System land through partnerships with state, local, and tribal sponsors, with liability protections and NEPA compliance streamlining.
Who Benefits
- State and local governments near National Forests
- Water districts and utilities
- Downstream communities at flood risk
Who Bears Costs
- Federal government (full cost-share waiver)
- NRCS (coordination requirements)
Key Policy Areas
Environment, Natural Resources
Primary Purpose
Authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out emergency watershed protection measures on National Forest System land through partnerships with state, local, and tribal sponsors, with liability protections and NEPA compliance streamlining.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Extend existing emergency watershed authority to National Forest System lands by removing cost-sharing barriers and liability concerns that discourage local sponsors from participating"
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Bennet (for himself and Mr. Curtis) introduced the following …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Forest Service, Sponsors (state/local/tribal governments, water districts), State and local governments as sponsors
Positive-direction: Sponsors (state/local/tribal governments, water districts), State and local governments as sponsors
Negative-direction: Forest Service
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Measures necessary to address runoff retardation, soil-erosion prevention, and flood mitigation caused by natural disaster on National Forest System land that would impair natural resources or pose risk to water resources, life, or property downstream
Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service
State or local government, Indian Tribe, or water district/utility/special district
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
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