The EMBER Act aims to strengthen wildfire prevention, response, and recovery efforts across the United States by removing financial barriers and improving coordination among federal, state, tribal, and local governments. The bill allows federal agencies to reduce or waive the matching fund requirements that states, tribes, counties, and municipalities normally must provide to access federal wildfire mitigation and recovery grants. The legislation also establishes new programs to develop wood processing infrastructure in high-risk wildfire regions, support small businesses using forest biomass from mitigation activities, and expand the use of grazing on federal lands to reduce dangerous fuel buildup. Additionally, the bill enhances post-wildfire recovery by extending the federal assistance period for cascade impacts like flooding and mudslides, expediting drinking water infrastructure grants within 90 days of a wildfire, and updating federal disaster assistance programs with wildfire-specific guidance. The act further directs federal agencies to conduct workforce assessments, establish a national research subcommittee on wildfire science, increase tribal participation in wildfire management, and develop uniform data standards for tracking wildfire hazards and mitigation outcomes.
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