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H.R. 168 119th Congress House

TORCH Act

Official title: To improve the ability of the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to carry out forest management actives that reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires, and for other purposes.

Introduced: January 3, 2025 Introduced by: Doug LaMalfa Republican · California See on congress.gov
Public Lands and Natural Resources Electric power generation and transmissionEnvironmental assessment, monitoring, researchFiresForests, forestry, trees
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Intergovernmental relationsLand use and conservationLicensing and registrationsLivestockWildlife conservation and habitat protection
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 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Apr 4, 2025
Referred to the Subcommittee on Forestry and Horticulture.
Jan 3, 2025
Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Jan 3, 2025
Introduced in House
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What's happening now April 4, 2025

Referred to the Subcommittee on Forestry and Horticulture.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Targeted Operations to Remove Catastrophic Hazards Act or the TORCH Act

This bill establishes requirements concerning forest management on federal land, including provisions to expedite the approval of forest management activities.

Specifically, it expands exclusions from environmental review requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 for certain forest management activities, including by directing the Forest Service to develop a categorical exclusion for forest management activities that mitigate the risks associated with high-priority hazard trees. A categorical exclusion is a class of actions that a federal agency has determined do not significantly affect the quality of the human environment and, thus, do not require an environmental assessment nor an environmental impact statement.

The bill also exempts the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management from the requirement to reinitiate consultation with the Fish and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 on an approved, amended, or revised land management plan when (1) a new species is listed or critical habitat is designated, or (2) new information reveals that the land management plan may affect a listed species or critical habitat in a manner or to an extent not previously considered.

It also creates and modifies requirements related to vegetation management practices and forest management activities, such as activities to reduce wildfire risks. For example, the bill modifies the treatment of certain revenue under good neighbor agreements, which allow federal agencies to partner with state and local governments to carry out certain restoration services.

 Related & companion bills 3
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 3
 Lobbying activity 11

Registered lobbyists who named this bill in their disclosure filings. Source: federal Lobbying Disclosure Act filings.

Bodies those filers lobbied

A filing lists the bills it worked on and the parts of government it contacted in separate sections, so these are the bodies those filers named anywhere in the filing, not a per-bill breakdown.

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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 168: TORCH Act. 119th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-168/
MLA
"H.R. 168: TORCH Act." 119th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-168/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 168, 119th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-168/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 168: TORCH Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-168/)
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