,i #aahth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ifhb ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,september #ai1 #bjbd ,mr4 ,calvert introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,natural ,resources1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,agriculture1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to mitigate environmental degradation and wildland fires caused by illegal immigration along the southern border of the ,united ,states1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,ending ,major ,borderland ,environmental ,ruin from ,wildfires 7,,ember7 ,act4 #b4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,appropriate congressional committees ,the term appropriate congressional committees means-- 7,a7 the ,committees on ,natural ,resources1 ,agriculture1 ,homeland ,security1 and the ,judiciary of the ,house of ,representatives2 and 7,b7 the ,committees on ,energy and ,natural ,resources1 ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and ,forestry1 ,homeland ,security and ,governmental ,affairs1 and the ,judiciary of the ,senate4 7#b7 ,border ,state ,the term ,border ,state means a ,state that abuts the southern border4 7#c7 ,covered federal lands 7,a7 ,in general ,the term covered ,federal lands means land-- 7i7 owned by the ,united ,states2 7ii7 located in a unit that shares an exterior boundary with the southern border2 and 7iii7 administered by-- 7,i7 the ,national ,park ,service2 7,,ii7 the ,bureau of ,land ,management2 7,,iii7 the ,united ,states ,fish and ,wildlife ,service2 7,,iv7 the ,bureau of ,reclamation2 or 7,v7 the ,forest ,service4 7,b7 ,exclusion ,the term covered ,federal lands does not include ,federal lands held in trust for ,indian ,tribes4 7#d7 ,operational control ,the term operational control has the meaning given such term in section #b7;b7 of the ,secure ,fence ,act of #bjjf 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #agja note2 ,public ,law #aji-cfg74 7#e7 ,secretary concerned ,the term ,secretary concerned means-- 7,a7 the ,secretary of the ,interior1 with respect to lands under the jurisdiction of the ,secretary of the ,interior2 and 7,b7 the ,secretary of ,agriculture1 acting through the ,chief of the ,forest ,service1 with respect to ,national ,forest ,system lands4 7#f7 ,southern border ,the term southern border means the international border between the ,united ,states and ,mexico4 #c4 ,southern ,border ,fuels ,management ,initiative 7a7 ,establishment ,not later than #a year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of the ,interior shall establish a program to be known as the ,southern ,border ,fuels ,management ,initiative 7in this section referred to as the ,initiative74 7b7 ,purpose ,the purpose of the ,initiative is to carry out vegetation management activities along the southern border in order to-- 7#a7 reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire along the southern border and improve landscape resilience2 7#b7 improve operational control of the southern border2 and 7#c7 improve visibility and sight lines along the southern border to increase safety for law enforcement4 7c7 ,activities ,in carrying out the ,initiative1 the ,secretary shall-- 7#a7 reduce hazardous fuels along the southern border2 7#b7 address invasive or non-native species along the southern border that contribute to wildfire risk or decrease operation efficiency of border patrol operations2 7#c7 install fuel breaks along the southern border2 and 7#d7 set targets for acres to treat under the program for each fiscal year4 7d7 ,coordination ,in carrying out the ,initiative1 the ,secretary shall coordinate and may enter into memorandums of understanding with the ,forest ,service1 ,u4,s4 ,border ,patrol1 and ,state1 local1 or ,tribal law enforcement agencies4 7e7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,secretary of the ,interior to carry out this section #c1ffj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbe through #bjca4 7f7 ,termination ,the ,initiative shall terminate #g years after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 #d4 ,mitigating environmental degradation and wildland fires caused by illegal immigration 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #ij days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary concerned1 in coordination with the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security1 shall establish and implement policies and protocols to mitigate1 avoid1 or prevent-- 7#a7 wildland fires ignited by aliens without lawful immigration status2 and 7#b7 environmental degradation on covered ,federal lands caused by aliens without lawful immigration status crossing the southern border4 7b7 ,protocols ,in developing the protocols under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary concerned shall consider policies to-- 7#a7 reduce trash accumulation along the southern border1 particularly in ecologically sensitive areas2 7#b7 prevent the ignition of wildland fires by aliens without lawful immigration status1 particularly in areas where there is a risk of-- 7,a7 loss of life or property2 7,b7 damage to critical wildlife habitat2 7,c7 damage to public infrastructure2 and 7,d7 degradation of watersheds or public water sources2 7#c7 address the destruction of sensitive natural and archeological resources2 and 7#d7 address the destruction of wildlife habitat4 7c7 ,report to congress ,not later than #a year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary concerned shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that includes-- 7#a7 a description of the policies and protocols established under subsection 7a72 7#b7 a catalog of all reported incidents of environmental degradation and wildland fires ignited by aliens without lawful immigration status1 including-- 7,a7 the number of acres burned and total number of fires ignited2 7,b7 a description of each incident of environmental degradation and the total number of such incidents2 7,c7 the estimated cost of cleaning up or remediating such environmental degradation2 7,d7 the number of such aliens connected to each fire and whether or not they were apprehended2 and 7,e7 the area in which incidents of environmental degradation occurred1 including areas congressionally designated for the protection of natural resources2 and 7#c7 additional resources or authorities necessary to mitigate1 avoid1 or prevent wildland fires and environmental degradation caused by aliens without lawful immigration status crossing the southern border4 7d7 ,updated report 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #b years after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall update its ,november #bjaa report entitled ,federal ,agencies ,could ,better ,utilize ,law ,enforcement ,resources in ,support of ,wildland ,fire ,management ,activities4 7#b7 ,additional states considered ,in updating the report under paragraph 7#a71 the ,comptroller ,general shall include information on each ,border ,state4