H.R. 204 · Passed House · Public Lands and Natural Resources

ACRES Act

Sponsor: Thomas P. Tiffany (R-WI)

What it does

• Require USDA and the Department of the Interior to report annually on the number of acres of federal land treated with hazardous fuels reduction activities in the President's budget materials.
• Direct USDA and Interior to implement standardized procedures for tracking hazardous fuels reduction data, including regular accuracy reviews and verification methods.
• Mandate analysis of short-term and long-term effectiveness of hazardous fuels reduction activities on reducing wildfire risk.
• Require methods to distinguish acres treated within the wildland-urban interface from those outside it during hazardous fuels reduction activities.
• Direct the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study on hazardous fuels reduction activities.

Official summary

Accurately Counting Risk Elimination Solutions Act or the ACRES Act This bill establishes requirements regarding reports about hazardous fuels reduction activities and standardized procedures for tracking data for hazardous fuels reduction. Hazardous fuels reduction activities means any vegetation management activities that reduce the risk of wildfire but excludes the award of contracts to conduct hazardous fuels reduction activities. First, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of the Interior must include in the materials submitted in support of the President's budget each fiscal year a report on the number of acres of federal land on which such activities were carried out during the preceding year. Next, USDA and Interior must implement standardized procedures for tracking data related to such activities. The standardized procedures must include regular, standardized data reviews of the accuracy and timely input of data used to track hazardous fuels reduction activities; verification methods that validate whether such data accurately correlates to such activities; an analysis of the short- and long-term effectiveness of such activities on reducing the risk of…

Latest action

Jul 23, 2026: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 490.

Committee: Senate Energy and Natural Resources