PRIA Logo™
119-hr-9998119th Congress

Wildfire Research Coordination Act of 2026

Sponsored By: Representative Pettersen, Brittany [D-CO-7]

Introduced

Summary

This bill would require the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Agriculture (through the Forest Service), and the Secretary of the Interior to coordinate their wildfire science work. It centers on interagency coordination of wildfire research to align priorities across mitigation, ecological resilience, fire and smoke modeling, response, and post-fire recovery.

Show full summary
  • Federal agencies: The Department of Defense, the Forest Service, and the Department of the Interior would be asked to identify joint research and technology priorities and enter a memorandum of understanding within 180 days to align those priorities with existing programs.
  • Research programs and scientists: The memorandum would direct the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP), the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP), and the Joint Fire Science Program to coordinate research efforts around the joint priorities.
  • Congressional oversight: The Secretary of Defense would submit a report to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees within one year describing steps taken to implement the memorandum.

Personalized for You

How does this bill affect your finances?

Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this bill means for your household, plus every other piece of legislation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.

Free to download

Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

Joint wildfire research plan and report

This bill would require the Secretary of Defense to sign a joint memorandum of understanding with the Secretary of Agriculture (through the Forest Service) and the Secretary of the Interior within 180 days of enactment. The MOU would identify shared wildfire research and technology priorities, including mitigation, ecological resilience, fire and smoke modeling, response, and post-fire recovery. It would require aligning those priorities with DoD research programs (the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program and the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program) and with the Joint Fire Science Program of USDA and DOI, and would direct coordination between those programs. Not later than one year after enactment, the Secretary of Defense would send a report to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees about implementation. The bill would not provide new funding or appropriation authority.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Pettersen, Brittany [D-CO-7]

CO • D

Cosponsors

  • Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17]

    NY • R

    Sponsored 7/30/2026

  • Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1]

    PA • R

    Sponsored 8/3/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

View on Congress.gov
Back to Legislation