United States 119th Congress Status: In Committee 1 R cosponsors

HR 168 — TORCH Act

Last action — Referred to the Subcommittee on Forestry and Horticulture.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced January 03, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the House.

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.

Upgrade to see the exact probability and what's driving it.

A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Stalled 16% · moderate confidence

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 R).

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

Summary

Targeted Operations to Remove Catastrophic Hazards Act or the TORCH ActThis 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.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Introduced in House

  2. Introduced in House

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. Referred to the Subcommittee on Forestry and Horticulture.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 546 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (546)

546 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 546 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

environment agriculture energy
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does HR 168 do?
Targeted Operations to Remove Catastrophic Hazards Act or the TORCH ActThis 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.
Who sponsors HR 168?
HR 168 is sponsored by LaMalfa, Doug (Republican).
What is the current status of HR 168?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced January 03, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HR 168?
Track HR 168 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

Make your voice heard on HR 168

Find the representatives who decide this bill and tell them where you stand — for yourself, or mobilize your whole list in one click with One Click Politics advocacy software.

Find my representatives → Run a campaign

Stay ahead of HR 168

Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

One Click Politics tracks every bill in Congress and all 50 states.

Track this bill →