PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Congressional Research Service
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People & committees
Rep. Pettersen, Brittany [D-CO-7] · D–CO
Legislative record
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Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Aug 10, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-07-30 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed Emergency Mountain Pine Beetle Response Act would create a competitive grant program for restoring national forests damaged by mountain pine beetles. Eligible applicants would include state, local and Tribal governments, certain districts, and water and electricity utilities. Grants could support removing hazardous trees, reducing wildfire fuel, replanting and protecting watersheds. The Agriculture Department would run the program through the Forest Service.
This Act may be cited as the Emergency Mountain Pine Beetle Response Act.
The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, shall establish a competitive grant program to be known as the Mountain Pine Beetle Response Program
The term sponsor means— (A) a State or local government; (B) an Indian Tribe; (C) a water management district, water conservation district, special district, or a public water, wastewater, and stormwater utility; and (D) an electric utility, transmitting utility, or transmission organization (as such terms are defined, respectively, in section 3 of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 796) or electrical transmission provider.
a project carried out on National Forest System lands for purposes of restoring forest health in an area that experienced, or is experiencing, a mountain pine beetle outbreak resulting in significant tree mortality
(1) Removal of beetle-killed or beetle infested hazard trees. (2) Processing of beetle-killed or beetle infested hazard trees. (3) Forest thinning and other fuels reduction of plant debris associated with mountain pine beetle mortality to alter or clear fuels created by the outbreak and address a public safety, critical infrastructure, or watershed health need. (4) Reforestation, including tree planting. (5) Ecological restoration designed to promote biodiversity. (6) Watershed protection and stabilization measures
The bill would require the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Forest Service chief, to establish the competitive program. It would allow the Secretary to award grants, without guaranteeing an award to every eligible applicant. Applicants would have to describe their proposed project and meet application requirements set by the Secretary.
The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, shall establish a competitive grant program to be known as the Mountain Pine Beetle Response Program (referred to in this section as the Program) under which the Secretary may issue a grant to sponsor for use carrying out an emergency mountain pine beetle response project described in subsection (c).
To be eligible to receive a grant under the Program, a sponsor shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such form, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including a description of the emergency mountain pine beetle response project proposed to be carried out with grant funds.
Eligible sponsors would be state or local governments; Indian Tribes; water management, water conservation and special districts; public water, wastewater and stormwater utilities; and specified electricity utilities, transmission organizations and transmission providers. The text refers to other laws for the definitions of Indian Tribe and several electricity entities.
(1) Indian Tribe The term Indian Tribe has the meaning given such term in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).
(3) Sponsor The term sponsor means— (A) a State or local government; (B) an Indian Tribe; (C) a water management district, water conservation district, special district, or a public water, wastewater, and stormwater utility; and (D) an electric utility, transmitting utility, or transmission organization (as such terms are defined, respectively, in section 3 of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 796) or electrical transmission provider.
The Secretary would have to prioritize applicants proposing projects that meet four linked criteria: protect municipal water supplies and critical infrastructure; reduce wildfire risk to communities in the legally defined wildland-urban interface; focus on beetle outbreaks causing high tree mortality or little natural recovery; and align with a state forest action plan or watershed strategy.
In selecting an applicant to receive a grant under the Program, the Secretary shall give priority to applicants that propose to carrying out emergency mountain pine beetle response project— (A) designed to protect municipal water supplies and critical infrastructure; (B) designed to reduce wildfire risk to communities in the wildland-urban interface; (C) focused on an area that has experienced, or is experiencing, a mountain pine beetle outbreak resulting in high tree mortality or low natural ecological regeneration; and (D) that aligns with a State forest action plan or watershed strategy.
(4) Wildland-urban interface The term wildland-urban interface has the meaning given the term in section 101 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6511).
Qualifying projects would have to take place on National Forest System lands and seek to restore forest health where a past or ongoing mountain pine beetle outbreak caused significant tree deaths. The bill uses the National Forest System definition from an existing law.
An emergency mountain pine beetle response project described in this subsection is a project carried out on National Forest System lands for purposes of restoring forest health in an area that experienced, or is experiencing, a mountain pine beetle outbreak resulting in significant tree mortality
(2) National Forest System The term National Forest System has the meaning given such term in section 11(a) of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1609(a)).
Projects could remove or process hazardous trees killed or infested by beetles. They could also thin forests or reduce plant debris from beetle-caused tree deaths to change or clear material that can burn, while addressing public safety, critical infrastructure or watershed health needs.
that may include the following activities: (1) Removal of beetle-killed or beetle infested hazard trees. (2) Processing of beetle-killed or beetle infested hazard trees. (3) Forest thinning and other fuels reduction of plant debris associated with mountain pine beetle mortality to alter or clear fuels created by the outbreak and address a public safety, critical infrastructure, or watershed health need.
Other permitted activities would include replanting forests and ecological restoration intended to support a variety of living species. Projects could protect watersheds by stabilizing slopes, controlling sediment and runoff, reducing flooding and erosion, and providing planning, monitoring and technical assistance to maintain watershed health.
(4) Reforestation, including tree planting. (5) Ecological restoration designed to promote biodiversity. (6) Watershed protection and stabilization measures, including— (A) slope stabilization; (B) sediment and runoff control; (C) flood and erosion mitigation; and (D) planning, monitoring, and technical assistance for purposes of maintaining watershed health.
The Secretary could pay some or all of an awarded grant starting on the award date. All awarded funds would have to be paid within 30 days after the Secretary receives the recipient's written statement that the project is complete.
(d) Disbursement In disbursing grant funds awarded to a grant recipient under the Program, the Secretary— (1) may disburse all or part of such grant funds to the recipient at any time during the period beginning on the date on which the grant is awarded and ending 30 days after the date described in paragraph (2); and (2) shall ensure that all such grant funds are disbursed not later than 30 days after the date on which the Secretary receives written notification from the recipient attesting that the emergency mountain pine beetle response project for which the grant was awarded is complete.
The supplied actions snapshot, updated August 10, 2026, records House introduction on July 30, 2026, and referral that day to the Agriculture and Natural Resources committees for provisions within their respective jurisdictions.
Source snapshot updated 2026-08-10T14:49:41Z.
2026-07-30: Introduced in House
2026-07-30: Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-07-30. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not establish the absence of riders in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for a particular recipient or place was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to this version and does not establish formal earmark status in other materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow carve-out, special exemption or preferential exception was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. Ordinary program eligibility and priorities do not alone warrant a finding. This conclusion is limited to this version.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Aug 10, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI