0
Wildfire Communications Resiliency Act
6/11/2025, 8:05 AM
Summary of Bill HR 1655
The rationale behind this legislation is to expedite the recovery and restoration of critical communications infrastructure in the event of a disaster, allowing for quicker and more efficient response efforts. By removing certain regulatory barriers, the bill seeks to facilitate the timely reconstruction of communications facilities, ensuring that communities affected by disasters have access to essential communication services.
It is important to note that this bill does not completely waive all environmental or historical preservation requirements, but rather provides an exemption specifically for communications facilities in disaster-affected areas. This targeted approach is intended to balance the need for expedited recovery with the preservation of important environmental and historical resources. Overall, Bill 119 HR 1655 aims to improve the resilience and reliability of communications infrastructure in the face of natural disasters and emergencies, while also taking into consideration the importance of environmental and historical preservation.
Congressional Summary of HR 1655
Wildfire Communications Resiliency Act
This bill exempts certain post-wildfire communications infrastructure projects from specified federal environmental and historic preservation review requirements.
Specifically, the bill exempts from review projects that (1) are to be carried out within five years of the declaration of a wildfire-related major disaster or emergency in a given area; (2) are to be carried out entirely within the area for which the major disaster or emergency was declared; and (3) will replace a communications facility damaged by the major disaster or emergency, or make improvements to a communications facility that are necessary for recovery or to prevent or mitigate a future major disaster or emergency. To qualify under the bill, a major disaster or emergency must have been declared by the President, a state governor, or a tribal chief executive.
The bill specifies that these projects are not considered major federal actions under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 or undertakings under the National Historic Preservation Act, thus exempting such projects from the review procedures required under those acts.
