PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Nov 2, 2017
National Forest System Vegetation Management Pilot Program Act of 2017
This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a limited, voluntary pilot program under which owners and operators of rights-of-way on National Forest System (NFS) land may conduct vegetation management projects on NFS land adjacent to or near those rights-of-way to better protect utility infrastructure from potential passing wildfires.
USDA shall give priority to an owner or operator of a right-of-way that has worked with Forest Service fire scientists and used technologies to improve utility infrastructure protection prescriptions.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Vegetation management projects shall involve only limited and selective vegetation management activities that:
create the least amount of disturbance necessary to protect utility infrastructure from passing wildfires;
may include thinning, fuel reduction, creation, and treatment of shaded fuel breaks;
are conducted only on NFS land adjacent to the participant's right-of-way or within 75 feet of it; and
are not conducted on a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, a designated wilderness area, or an inventoried roadless area.
Each vegetation management project, including each of those activities selected, shall be subject to approval by the Forest Service.
People & committees
Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO] · D–CO
Legislative record
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
Source last updated: Aug 11, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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