Overview
Title
To require that the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior submit accurate reports regarding hazardous fuels reduction activities, and for other purposes.
ELI5 AI
The "ACRES Act" is a rule that asks important people who look after forests to count and tell everyone about the work they do to stop wildfires, like how many trees they protected and how much it cost, but they have to do this carefully without getting extra money to help them.
Summary AI
H.R. 204, known as the "Accurately Counting Risk Elimination Solutions Act" or the "ACRES Act," requires the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to submit detailed and accurate reports on activities related to reducing hazardous fuels on federal lands, which help mitigate wildfire risks. These reports must be included in the materials supporting the President’s budget and should contain specific data about the acres managed, the risk levels, types of activities performed, costs, and efficacy of these activities. Additionally, the bill mandates developing standardized procedures for data collection and analysis, instructs a study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the implementation of the Act, and clarifies that no extra funds are authorized to meet these requirements.
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AnalysisAI
The proposed legislation, known as the "Accurately Counting Risk Elimination Solutions Act" or "ACRES Act," is designed to enhance the transparency and accountability of hazardous fuels reduction activities on federal lands. These activities are essential for reducing the risk of wildfires, particularly in regions where human development meets undeveloped wildland, an area referred to as the wildland-urban interface.
Summary of the Bill
The ACRES Act mandates that the heads of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior prepare detailed reports on hazardous fuels reduction activities as part of the materials supporting the President's budget. These reports must include specific information, such as the extent of federal lands treated, the level of wildfire risk before and after treatment, the types of activities performed, the costs involved, and the effectiveness of these efforts in mitigating wildfire risk. Importantly, the bill requires that these reports be accessible to the public, enhancing transparency.
To collect this data accurately, the Act calls for the implementation of standardized procedures to track hazardous fuels activities. Additionally, it commissions a study by the Comptroller General to assess the effectiveness of these measures two years post-enactment. Importantly, the bill does not allocate new funding, relying instead on existing resources to fulfill its requirements.
Significant Issues
One of the main issues with the ACRES Act is the absence of additional funding to implement the extensive reporting and data tracking requirements. This financial limitation may hinder the departments' capacities to execute the law's mandates effectively. The complexity of the reporting requirements poses another challenge, as collecting detailed data across various parameters could be burdensome without supplementary guidance or support.
Moreover, the bill lacks detailed specifications concerning how and when these reports should be made publicly available. This oversight could lead to inconsistencies and delays in public access. Additionally, the ambiguity in the methods for distinguishing between acreages inside and outside the wildland-urban interface might affect the accuracy and reliability of the reports, potentially impacting strategic decision-making.
Finally, while the Act requires a study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) two years after its implementation, the absence of interim assessments might delay the identification and resolution of any issues that arise during the execution of the Act's provisions.
Impact on the Public and Stakeholders
Broadly, the ACRES Act aims to improve the management of wildfire risks by holding federal agencies accountable through detailed reporting of hazardous fuels reduction activities. This enhanced transparency could empower communities, particularly those near wildland-urban interfaces, by providing them with clearer information on federal efforts to mitigate wildfire risks.
For stakeholders within federal agencies, the Act places an additional administrative burden without offering new resources. This lack of funding might strain existing budgets and staff, potentially diverting attention away from other critical activities unless appropriately managed. The increased transparency, however, could drive improvements in program effectiveness by highlighting gaps and fostering public trust.
Environmental groups may view the Act positively from the perspective of enhanced public reporting, which could facilitate advocacy for more effective wildfire prevention strategies. Conversely, stakeholders involved in industries related to land management might be concerned about any increased administrative burdens and their potential impact on operations.
In conclusion, while the ACRES Act presents a proactive approach to improving wildfire risk reduction strategies through increased accountability and transparency, the absence of additional funding and the complexity of reporting requirements might pose challenges to its implementation and effectiveness. These issues will need careful consideration to ensure the Act fulfills its intended objectives without compromising existing resources or operational efficiency.
Issues
The lack of additional authorized funds (Section 2, e) may hinder the effective implementation of the procedures and reporting requirements outlined in the bill, potentially resulting in inadequate execution of hazardous fuels reduction activities.
The complexity in reporting requirements (Section 2, a-2), such as tracking diverse factors like types of activities, cost per acre, location, and effectiveness, could present implementation challenges without additional resources or guidance.
The absence of detailed specifications on the format and timelines for making reports publicly available (Section 2, a-3) could result in delays or inconsistencies in public access to information about hazardous fuels reduction activities.
There is ambiguity in the methods for distinguishing between acres within and outside the wildland-urban interface in data collection (Section 2, b-2), which could lead to inconsistent data reporting and affect the accuracy of the reports.
The GAO study required two years after enactment (Section 2, c) does not include provisions for interim reporting or assessments, potentially delaying the identification and resolution of issues in the implementation of the Act.
Sections
Sections are presented as they are annotated in the original legislative text. Any missing headers, numbers, or non-consecutive order is due to the original text.
1. Short title Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The first section of the bill states that the official short title of the legislation is the “Accurately Counting Risk Elimination Solutions Act,” abbreviated as the “ACRES Act.”
2. Accurate Hazardous Fuels Reduction Reports Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The bill requires the Secretary of Agriculture or the Interior to include reports on hazardous fuels reduction activities in the President's budget materials, detailing acres treated, wildfire risk, and costs, and to make these reports public. It also mandates standardized procedures for data collection to ensure the accuracy of these reports and directs the Comptroller General to study the implementation of the requirements. No additional funding is authorized for these activities.