Accelerating Forest Management Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 8682 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 8682 To codify the categorical exclusion proposed in the National Environmental Policy Act Implementing Procedures for the Bureau of Land Management related to salvage harvesting published on April 6, 2026, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 7, 2026 Mr. Downing introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To codify the categorical exclusion proposed in the National Environmental Policy Act Implementing Procedures for the Bureau of Land Management related to salvage harvesting published on April 6, 2026, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Accelerating Forest Management Act''. SEC. 2. CODIFICATION OF CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION. (a) In General.--Salvage harvesting activities described in subsection (b) are a category of actions hereby designated as being categorically excluded from the preparation of an environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement under section 102 of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332). (b) Salvage Harvesting Activities Designated for Categorical Exclusions.-- (1) In general.--The salvage harvesting activities designated under this section for categorical exclusion are-- (A) covered actions with respect to dead or dying trees resulting from fire, insects, disease, drought, or other disturbances within treatment areas-- (i) not to exceed 1,000 acres where the disturbance affects 3,000 acres of Bureau- managed lands or less; and (ii) not to exceed the lesser of 5,000 acres or 1/3 of the distur