Save Our Sequoias Act
Sponsored By: Senator Padilla, Alex [D-CA]
Introduced
Summary
Protect and restore giant sequoias by creating a coordinated, multi‑agency and Tribal framework for emergency protection, reforestation, monitoring, grants, and a philanthropic fund. It prioritizes grove-specific assessments, faster on-the-ground work, and public reporting.
Show full summary
- Tribal and state partners: Requires a Shared Stewardship Agreement that includes the Tule River Tribe and California, integrates Tribal traditional ecological knowledge into planning, and codifies a Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition with at least one public meeting each year.
- Federal managers and parks: Creates Giant Sequoia Strike Teams to help implement projects and NEPA analyses, expands stewardship contracting into Kings Canyon, Sequoia, and Yosemite, and authorizes emergency Protection Projects with categorical NEPA exclusions for up to 2,000 acres in groves and up to 3,000 acres on covered lands.
- Local communities, nurseries, and nonprofits: Establishes collaborative restoration grants to support hazardous fuel markets, nursery capacity, and rural jobs. It also creates a philanthropic Giant Sequoia Emergency Protection Fund that can accept private gifts and spend them without further appropriation, must direct at least 15 percent of support to Tribal projects, and sunsets the emergency authorities and Fund after 7 years.
Your PRIA Score
Personalized for You
How does this bill affect your finances?
Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this bill and every other piece of legislation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 5 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Grants, contracts, and fund for jobs
If enacted, the bill would set up or expand competitive sequoia restoration grants for nonprofits, Tribes, local governments, academic groups, and private organizations, with priority for projects that create rural jobs and for small businesses and Tribal entities. Grants could pay for biomass markets, storage and processing facilities, transport cost reductions, and nursery capacity for seedlings. The bill would also ask three foundations to run a Giant Sequoia Emergency Protection Fund made of gifts and bequests that would be available without further appropriation and must use at least 15% of funds for Tribal support. The bill would also let stewardship contracting be used inside Kings Canyon, Sequoia, and Yosemite parks and create small Giant Sequoia Strike Teams (up to 10 people) to carry out project work.
Faster emergency sequoia projects
If enacted, the bill would declare a 7-year emergency for covered sequoia lands so some protection and reforestation projects could skip full NEPA review. The NEPA skip would only cover projects up to 2,000 acres inside a sequoia grove and up to 3,000 acres on nearby lands, and non-Federal land needs the landowner's consent. The Secretary would be directed to reduce hazardous fuels in at least 3 groves each year and must post notice of each project online.
Deadlines for shared stewardship deals
If enacted, the bill would require the Secretary to enter into or expand a shared stewardship agreement with the Agriculture Secretary, the California Governor, and the Tule River Tribe within 90 days after a Governor or Tribe request. If no request comes first, the Secretary must enter the agreement with the Agriculture Secretary within 90 days after enactment. The Secretary must accept the Governor or the Tribe as a party if they request to join later.
New insect monitoring plan
If enacted, the bill would require the Secretary to make an insect-monitoring strategy within 1 year for high-risk sequoia groves and to seek public-private partners to deploy monitoring technology. The Secretary would send a report to Congress within 2 years with the strategy, an update on effectiveness, and policy recommendations to close research and program gaps.
Public sequoia health dashboard
If enacted, the bill would codify a Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition to produce a Grove-level Health and Resiliency Assessment within 6 months and update it yearly. The Coalition would run a public web dashboard with searchable grove maps, project status, projected costs, and environmental review timelines. The Coalition must allow the public to observe at least one meeting each year, with limited closed-session exceptions.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Padilla, Alex [D-CA]
CA • D
Cosponsors
Sen. Curtis, John R. [R-UT]
UT • R
Sponsored 3/16/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov