Watershed Protection and Forest Recovery Act of 2025

This bill would let the U.S. Forest Service work through local partners to carry out emergency watershed protection on National Forest System land after a natural disaster, such as controlling runoff, preventing soil erosion, and reducing flooding. Partners, called sponsors, could include state and local governments, Indian Tribes, and water districts or utilities. The Forest Service could sign agreements with sponsors and pay them, with no matching funds required, and sponsors would have to finish the work within 2 years. Sponsors working under an agreement would not be liable for damage unless they acted with willful or wanton negligence or reckless conduct. The work would be treated as an emergency response action for federal environmental review purposes.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Joe Neguse Democrat sponsor
• 2 cosponsors