H.R. 9998: Wildfire Research Coordination Act of 2026

This bill would require the Secretary of Defense to work with the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to coordinate research and technology priorities related to fire science.

What the coordination would cover

Within 180 days after the bill becomes law, the three departments would have to sign a joint memorandum of understanding. That agreement would be used to:

• Identify shared research and technology priorities related to wildfires and fire science.
• Focus on areas such as wildfire mitigation, ecological resilience, fire and smoke modeling, response efforts, and recovery after fires.
• Align this work with existing programs in the Department of Defense and the federal land-management agencies.
• Improve coordination between those programs so they work together on the same priorities rather than separately.

Programs involved

The bill specifically refers to:

• The Department of Defense’s Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program.
• The Department of Defense’s Environmental Security Technology Certification Program.
• The Joint Fire Science Program run by the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior.

Reporting requirement

Within one year after enactment, the Secretary of Defense would have to send a report to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees describing what actions were taken to carry out the coordination requirement.

Relevant Companies

None found