[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9682 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9682
To mitigate environmental degradation and wildland fires caused by
illegal immigration along the southern border of the United States, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 19, 2024
Mr. Calvert introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on
Agriculture, 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 BILL
To mitigate environmental degradation and wildland fires caused by
illegal immigration along the southern border of the United States, 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 ``Ending Major Borderland
Environmental Ruin from Wildfires (EMBER) Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committees on Natural Resources,
Agriculture, Homeland Security, and the Judiciary of
the House of Representatives; and
(B) the Committees on Energy and Natural Resources,
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Homeland Security
and Governmental Affairs, and the Judiciary of the
Senate.
(2) Border state.--The term ``Border State'' means a State
that abuts the southern border.
(3) Covered federal lands.--
(A) In general.--The term ``covered Federal lands''
means land--
(i) owned by the United States;
(ii) located in a unit that shares an
exterior boundary with the southern border; and
(iii) administered by--
(I) the National Park Service;
(II) the Bureau of Land Management;
(III) the United States Fish and
Wildlife Service;
(IV) the Bureau of Reclamation; or
(V) the Forest Service.
(B) Exclusion.--The term ``covered Federal lands''
does not include Federal lands held in trust for Indian
Tribes.
(4) Operational control.--The term ``operational control''
has the meaning given such term in section 2(b) of the Secure
Fence Act of 2006 (8 U.S.C. 1701 note; Public Law 109-367).
(5) Secretary concerned.--The term ``Secretary concerned''
means--
(A) the Secretary of the Interior, with respect to
lands under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the
Interior; and
(B) the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through
the Chief of the Forest Service, with respect to
National Forest System lands.
(6) Southern border.--The term ``southern border'' means
the international border between the United States and Mexico.
SEC. 3. SOUTHERN BORDER FUELS MANAGEMENT INITIATIVE.
(a) Establishment.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall establish a
program to be known as the ``Southern Border Fuels Management
Initiative'' (in this section referred to as the ``Initiative'').
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of the Initiative is to carry out
vegetation management activities along the southern border in order
to--
(1) reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire along the
southern border and improve landscape resilience;
(2) improve operational control of the southern border; and
(3) improve visibility and sight lines along the southern
border to increase safety for law enforcement.
(c) Activities.--In carrying out the Initiative, the Secretary
shall--
(1) reduce hazardous fuels along the southern border;
(2) address invasive or non-native species along the
southern border that contribute to wildfire risk or decrease
operation efficiency of border patrol operations;
(3) install fuel breaks along the southern border; and
(4) set targets for acres to treat under the program for
each fiscal year.
(d) Coordination.--In carrying out the Initiative, the Secretary
shall coordinate and may enter into memorandums of understanding with
the Forest Service, U.S. Border Patrol, and State, local, or Tribal law
enforcement agencies.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary of the Interior to carry out this section
$3,660,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2031.
(f) Termination.--The Initiative shall terminate 7 years after the
date of the enactment of this Act.
SEC. 4. MITIGATING ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION AND WILDLAND FIRES CAUSED
BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION.
(a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary concerned, in coordination with
the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall establish and implement
policies and protocols to mitigate, avoid, or prevent--
(1) wildland fires ignited by aliens without lawful
immigration status; and
(2) environmental degradation on covered Federal lands
caused by aliens without lawful immigration status crossing the
southern border.
(b) Protocols.--In developing the protocols under subsection (a),
the Secretary concerned shall consider policies to--
(1) reduce trash accumulation along the southern border,
particularly in ecologically sensitive areas;
(2) prevent the ignition of wildland fires by aliens
without lawful immigration status, particularly in areas where
there is a risk of--
(A) loss of life or property;
(B) damage to critical wildlife habitat;
(C) damage to public infrastructure; and
(D) degradation of watersheds or public water
sources;
(3) address the destruction of sensitive natural and
archeological resources; and
(4) address the destruction of wildlife habitat.
(c) Report to Congress.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary concerned shall submit to the
appropriate congressional committees a report that includes--
(1) a description of the policies and protocols established
under subsection (a);
(2) a catalog of all reported incidents of environmental
degradation and wildland fires ignited by aliens without lawful
immigration status, including--
(A) the number of acres burned and total number of
fires ignited;
(B) a description of each incident of environmental
degradation and the total number of such incidents;
(C) the estimated cost of cleaning up or
remediating such environmental degradation;
(D) the number of such aliens connected to each
fire and whether or not they were apprehended; and
(E) the area in which incidents of environmental
degradation occurred, including areas congressionally
designated for the protection of natural resources; and
(3) additional resources or authorities necessary to
mitigate, avoid, or prevent wildland fires and environmental
degradation caused by aliens without lawful immigration status
crossing the southern border.
(d) Updated Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the
United States shall update its November 2011 report entitled
``Federal Agencies Could Better Utilize Law Enforcement
Resources in Support of Wildland Fire Management Activities''.
(2) Additional states considered.--In updating the report
under paragraph (1), the Comptroller General shall include
information on each Border State.
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