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Fire-Safe Electrical Corridors Act of 2025
To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to permit removal of trees around electrical lines on National Forest System land without conducting a timber sale, and for other purposes.
Summary
This bill would authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to permit electrical utilities to remove trees and vegetation around power lines on National Forest System land without conducting a separate timber sale, provided the removal is consistent with forest management plans and environmental laws. If a utility sells any of the removed material, it would be required to share the proceeds with the Forest Service, minus transportation costs. The bill streamlines the process for utilities to maintain fire-safe corridors around electrical lines on federal forest land.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA)
4 cosponsors
- Sen. Daines, Steve [R-MT] (R-MT)
- Sen. Gallego, Ruben [D-AZ] (D-AZ)
- Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA] (D-WA)
- Sen. Rosen, Jacky [D-NV] (D-NV)
Actions (2)
- Jan 30, 2025 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. · senate
- Jan 30, 2025 Introduced in Senate
More bills on these subjects (8)
Other bills that carry the most legislative subjects in common with this one (topical discovery — distinct from the procedural related bills above).
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Full text
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 30, 2025
Mr. Padilla (for himself and Mr. Daines) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to permit removal of trees around electrical lines on National Forest System land without conducting a timber sale, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Fire-Safe Electrical Corridors Act of 2025”.
SEC. 2. PERMITS AND AGREEMENTS WITH ELECTRICAL UTILITIES.
(a) In General.—In any special use permit or easement on National Forest System land provided to an electrical utility, the Secretary of Agriculture may provide permission to cut and remove trees or other vegetation from within the vicinity of distribution lines or transmission lines without requiring a separate timber sale, if that cutting and removal is consistent with—
(1) the applicable land and resource management plan; and
(2) other applicable environmental laws (including regulations).
(b) Use of Proceeds.—A special use permit or easement that includes permission for cutting and removal described in subsection (a) shall include a requirement that, if the applicable electrical utility sells any portion of the material removed under the permit or easement, the electrical utility shall provide to the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, any proceeds received from the sale, less any transportation costs incurred in the sale.
(c) Effect.—Nothing in subsection (b) shall require the sale of any material removed under a permit or easement that includes permission for cutting and removal described in subsection (a). <all>
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