Wildfire Communications Resiliency Act

This bill would exempt certain post-wildfire communications infrastructure projects from federal environmental and historic preservation review requirements. To qualify, projects must be located within a disaster area declared by a president, governor, or tribal leader and must be initiated within five years of the wildfire event. These projects would be limited to replacing damaged facilities or making improvements necessary for recovery and future disaster mitigation.

This bill affects entities responsible for communications infrastructure projects intended to replace or improve facilities damaged by wildfires in areas under a declared major disaster or emergency. Federal agencies and project developers are impacted as these specific infrastructure projects are exempted from review procedures under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the National Historic Preservation Act. The legislation also involves the administrative actions of the President, state governors, and tribal chief executives who declare the underlying wildfire-related disasters or emergencies.

• Environmental and historic preservation review exemptions. Exempts specific post-wildfire communications infrastructure projects from review requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the National Historic Preservation Act.
• Project eligibility criteria. Applies to projects conducted within five years of a wildfire-related disaster declaration and located entirely within the designated disaster area. Eligible projects must replace damaged facilities or make improvements necessary for recovery or future disaster mitigation.
• Disaster declaration requirements. Specifies that the exemptions apply to projects following a major disaster or emergency declared by the President, a state governor, or a tribal chief executive.

The exemptions apply to communications infrastructure projects carried out within five years of a wildfire-related major disaster or emergency declaration.

The bill creates exemptions to the review procedures established by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the National Historic Preservation Act by designating certain post-wildfire communications projects as neither major federal actions nor undertakings under those laws.

The bill aims to expedite the restoration and improvement of communications infrastructure in areas affected by wildfires by exempting certain recovery and mitigation projects from federal environmental and historic preservation review requirements.