S. 1114 — Watershed Protection and Forest Recovery Act of 2025

This section establishes the Emergency Forest Watershed Program (new section 408 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978) authorizing the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service and a sponsor (i.e., state or local government, Indian tribe, or water district), to carry out emergency watershed protection measures on National Forest System land to address runoff, soil erosion, and flood risks following a natural disaster. Under the program, the Secretary may enter agreements for such measures, which must be completed within two years of the disaster (with up to three years of monitoring, maintenance, repair, or replacement), waive sponsor matching requirements, make partial payments during implementation and final payment within 30 days of completion, provide liability protections for sponsors (except for willful or wanton negligence), and deem the measures emergency actions exempt from full NEPA review (per 36 C.F.R. 220.4(b)(1)). This section further (1) amends section 404(b) to specify that fiscal year funds be used to carry out section 401 (the core Emergency Conservation Program authority); (2) repeals section 406; and (3) makes clerical amendments, including redesignating section 402 for water conservation and water-enhancing measures during severe drought, redesignating section 405 for regulations, and moving section 403 to follow section 405.