Emergency Wildfire Fighting Technology Act of 2025
Click any stage to learn more about the legislative process.
Would require the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior to jointly evaluate a container aerial firefighting system — which uses airdrop-capable disposable containers of water or fire retardant — and report findings to Congress within 120 days of enactment.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would direct the Secretary of Agriculture (acting through the Forest Service) and the Secretary of the Interior to jointly evaluate the container aerial firefighting system (CAFFS) within 90 days of enactment. CAFFS uses airdrop-capable disposable containers filled with water or fire retardant to increase the number of aircraft available during wildfire emergencies. Both agencies would conduct the evaluation in consultation with the National Interagency Aviation Committee and the Interagency Airtanker Board.
The bill would not authorize a deployment of CAFFS or appropriate any funding. It would solely require an assessment of the technology's potential to mitigate and suppress wildfires, followed by a written report to four congressional committees within 120 days of enactment.
Key provisions
- 1Would require the Forest Service and the Interior Department to jointly evaluate the CAFFS technology within 90 days to assess its potential to mitigate and suppress wildfires.
- 2Would require both agencies to submit a joint report on the evaluation's findings to four designated congressional committees within 120 days of enactment.
Who would be affected
The Forest Service and the Department of the Interior, which would carry out the evaluation; the National Interagency Aviation Committee and the Interagency Airtanker Board, which would be consulted; and the four congressional committees (House Agriculture, House Natural Resources, Senate Agriculture/Nutrition/Forestry, and Senate Energy and Natural Resources) that would receive the report.
Why it matters
If enacted, the bill would produce a formal government assessment of whether CAFFS technology can meaningfully expand aerial firefighting capacity during wildfire emergencies. The results could inform future procurement or deployment decisions, but the bill itself commits neither agencies nor Congress to any follow-on action.
What would change
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- Deadline for completing the CAFFS evaluation
- Deadline for submitting the report to congressional committees
How implementation would work
Within 90 days of enactment, the Forest Service and the Interior Department would jointly conduct the CAFFS evaluation in consultation with the National Interagency Aviation Committee and the Interagency Airtanker Board. Within 120 days, they would submit a report on the evaluation's results to the relevant House and Senate committees. No rulemaking, grant cycle, or enforcement mechanism is specified; compliance rests on the statutory deadline and congressional oversight.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Official CRS summary
Show the CRS summaryHide the CRS summary
This bill requires the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior to (1) jointly evaluate the container aerial firefighting system to assess its use to mitigate and suppress wildfires, and (2) report on the results of the evaluation to Congress.
The system allows for the use of airdrop-capable disposable containers of water or fire retardant in order to increase the number of airlift assets available for wildfire emergencies.
Legislative subjects
Aviation and airports; Congressional oversight; Emergency planning and evacuation; Fires; Forests, forestry, trees; Public Lands and Natural Resources