“A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish the Wildfire Science and Technology Advisory Board.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section establishes a permanent Wildfire Science and Technology Advisory Board under the Secretary of the Interior to coordinate federal operationalization of wildfire research (including translation to practical applications, prioritization criteria, project transitions, entity connections, feedback, and private-sector partnerships); encourage inclusion of disciplines such as public health, meteorological science, and predictive modeling in wildfire research and operations; and disseminate findings and best practices via newsletters, online portals, webinars, and workshops. The Board comprises designees from 18 specified federal entities—including the Departments of the Interior, Agriculture, and Commerce; Forest Service; Bureau of Indian Affairs; Bureau of Land Management; FEMA; U.S. Fire Administration; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; NOAA; National Park Service; National Institute of Standards and Technology; U.S. Geological Survey; Office of Science and Technology Policy; National Science Foundation; NASA; CDC; and EPA—plus not more than 18 nonfederal members appointed by the Secretary of the Interior representing state, local, and tribal governments; fire departments; private-sector entities; researchers; public health, meteorological, and modeling experts; and others as appropriate. Nonfederal members serve two-year terms without compensation but with travel expenses; the chairperson rotates annually among designees of the Secretaries of the Interior, Agriculture, and Commerce (or a Board designee); and the Board may appoint staff paid up to level V of the Executive Schedule, detail federal employees without reimbursement, and procure temporary services.