H.R. 1183

Wildfire Prevention Act of 2017

This bill amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide hazard mitigation assistance in any area affected by a fire for which fire management assistance was provided under such Act, regardless of whether a major disaster is declared.

Recipients of hazard mitigation assistance may use such assistance to conduct the following activities to help reduce the risk of future damage, hardship, loss, or suffering in any area affected by a wildfire:

• reseeding ground cover with quick-growing or native species;
• mulching with straw or chipped wood;
• constructing straw, rock, or log dams in small tributaries to prevent flooding;
• placing logs and other erosion barriers to catch sediment on hill slopes;
• installing debris traps to modify road and trail drainage mechanisms;
• modifying or removing culverts to allow drainage to flow freely;
• adding drainage dips and constructing emergency spillways to keep roads and bridges from washing out during floods;
• planting grass to prevent the spread of noxious weeds;
• installing warning signs;
• establishing defensible space measures; and
• reducing hazardous fuels.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) shall submit to specified congressional committees a report containing a summary of any projects carried out, and any funding provided to those projects, under this bill.