North Rim and Kaibab National Forest Restoration Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3785 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3785

    To authorize direct emergency acquisition flexibilities for the
National Park Service and Forest Service for the purpose of retaining,
    vetting, approving, and expediting contractor approval for the
  clearing, rebuilding, maintenance, and improvement of areas of the
   Grand Canyon National Park and Kaibab National Forest damaged by
               certain wildfires, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 5, 2026

Mr. Gallego (for himself and Mr. Kelly) introduced the following bill;
   which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

    To authorize direct emergency acquisition flexibilities for the
National Park Service and Forest Service for the purpose of retaining,
    vetting, approving, and expediting contractor approval for the
  clearing, rebuilding, maintenance, and improvement of areas of the
   Grand Canyon National Park and Kaibab National Forest damaged by
               certain wildfires, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``North Rim and Kaibab National Forest
Restoration Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) the Grand Canyon is a national treasure that has
        exceptional historic, cultural, and geological value;
            (2) the Grand Canyon region drives the local economy
        through tourism and outdoor recreation;
            (3) the Grand Canyon is the ancestral homeland of 11 Indian
        Tribes, the members of which now live in the States of Arizona,
        Utah, New Mexico, and Nevada;
            (4) restoring the landscapes in the Grand Canyon helps
        uphold the responsibilities of the United States to the Indian
        Tribes referred to in paragraph (3); and
            (5) the Dragon Bravo Fire and White Sage Fire--
                    (A) collectively burned more than 200,000 acres of
                land in the North Rim and Kaibab National Forest; and
                    (B) destroyed more than 100 structures, including
                the Grand Canyon Lodge.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Covered area.--The term ``covered area'' means any area
        within the Grand Canyon National Park or Kaibab National Forest
        impacted by the Dragon Bravo Fire or White Sage Fire.
            (2) Dragon bravo fire.--The term ``Dragon Bravo Fire''
        means the wildfire in the North Rim of Grand Canyon National
        Park in the State of Arizona that began on July 4, 2025, and
        was contained on September 29, 2025.
            (3) Forest management or restoration activity.--The term
        ``forest management or restoration activity'' means slash and
        hazard tree (as defined in section 512(a) of the Federal Land
        Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1772(a))) removal,
        erosion control, slope stabilization, tree regeneration,
        wildlife rehabilitation, and reseeding with native seeds.
            (4) Secretary concerned.--The term ``Secretary concerned''
        means--
                    (A) the Secretary of the Interior, acting through
                the Director of the National Park Service, with respect
                to the Grand Canyon National Park; and
                    (B) the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through
                the Chief of the Forest Service, with respect to the
                Kaibab National Forest.
            (5) White sage fire.--The term ``White Sage Fire'' means
        the wildfire that began near Fredonia, Arizona, on July 9,
        2025, and was contained on September 12, 2025.

SEC. 4. EMERGENCY CONTRACTING AUTHORITY.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary concerned may use emergency
acquisition flexibilities under part 18 of title 48, Code of Federal
Regulations (or any successor regulations), including increased micro-
purchase thresholds, simplified acquisition thresholds, and other
authorities described in subpart 18.2 of that part, in contracting for
the following services within the covered area:
            (1) Forest management or restoration activities carried out
        in response to the Dragon Bravo Fire or White Sage Fire, as
        applicable.
            (2) Rebuilding, planning, development, and design of
        structures affected by the Dragon Bravo Fire or White Sage
        Fire, as applicable.
            (3) Improvements to the grounds and structures.
            (4) Other recovery efforts necessary for the economic and
        ecological well-being of the covered area.
    (b) Process for Other Services.--Unless otherwise provided by law
or regulation, the authority granted under subsection (a) shall not
apply to contracts for services other than those described in
paragraphs (1) through (4) of that subsection.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date on which the
Secretary concerned begins to use the authority under subsection (a),
and every 180 days thereafter until the date that is 180 days after the
date described in subsection (e), the Secretary concerned shall submit
to the Committees on Energy and Natural Resources and Homeland Security
and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committees on Natural
Resources and Oversight and Government Reform of the House of
Representatives a report that describes--
            (1) all expenditures of the Secretary concerned related to
        the recovery efforts for the Dragon Bravo Fire or White Sage
        Fire, as applicable, in the covered area, including--
                    (A) a description of the expected cost of recovery
                efforts;
                    (B) a description of cost expenditures;
                    (C) a description of cost overruns;
                    (D) the identification of contractors performing
                the work associated with the recovery from the Dragon
                Bravo Fire or White Sage Fire, as applicable;
                    (E) a description of any affiliations or conflicts
                of interest between--
                            (i) the contractor; and
                            (ii)(I) the contracting office at the Grand
                        Canyon National Park or the National Park
                        Service; or
                            (II) the contracting office at the Kaibab
                        National Forest or the Forest Service;
                    (F) a description of any waste, fraud, or abuse
                detected during the recovery efforts;
                    (G) the identification of any contracts that came
                in under expected expenses;
                    (H) an estimated time of completion for all
                projects and full recovery efforts related to the
                Dragon Bravo Fire or White Sage Fire, as applicable;
                and
                    (I) a description of whether an extension is needed
                for the authority to complete projects associated with
                the Dragon Bravo Fire or White Sage Fire, as
                applicable; and
            (2) any progress with respect to recovery efforts by the
        Secretary concerned in the covered area relating to the Dragon
        Bravo Fire or White Sage Fire, as applicable, during the period
        covered by the report.
    (d) Extension.--If, after the date of enactment of this Act, a new
wildfire ignites within the covered area that impacts recovery efforts
relating to the Dragon Bravo Fire or White Sage Fire, as applicable,
the Secretary concerned may request a 1-year extension of the authority
granted under subsection (a), subject to congressional approval.
    (e) Expiration.--The authority granted under subsection (a) shall
expire on the date that is the earlier of the following:
            (1) 5 years after the date of enactment of this Act.
            (2) The date on which recovery efforts within the covered
        area are determined by the Secretary concerned to be complete.

SEC. 5. PARTICIPATION OF INDIAN TRIBES AND LOCAL STAKEHOLDERS.

    (a) In General.--In the conduct of planning, design, and
reconstruction activities of the Secretary concerned relating to the
recovery of the covered area in response to the Dragon Bravo Fire or
White Sage Fire, as applicable, the Secretary concerned shall--
            (1) invite applicable Indian Tribes to participate; and
            (2) engage with other applicable local stakeholders
        (including units of local government, nonprofit organizations,
        local businesses (including Tribal businesses), and community
        groups).
    (b) Tribal Businesses and Local Businesses.--To the maximum extent
practicable, the Secretary concerned shall prioritize contracting with
Tribal businesses and local businesses to carry out reconstruction
activities relating to the recovery of the covered area in response to
the Dragon Bravo Fire or White Sage Fire, as applicable.

SEC. 6. CONTRACTS WITH CONCESSIONERS.

    During the period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act
and ending on the date described in section 4(e), to facilitate
recovery efforts relating to the Dragon Bravo Fire or White Sage Fire,
as applicable, in the covered area, the Secretary concerned may enter
into noncompetitive procurement contracts with existing National Park
Service or Forest Service authorized concessioners in the covered area
to carry out coordinated recovery efforts by the Secretary concerned
and the concessioners at facilities in the covered area that are
operated by the National Park Service, the Forest Service, or the
concessioners, as applicable.

SEC. 7. STUDY AND REPORT.

    The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture
shall jointly conduct a study of, and submit to the appropriate
committees of Congress a report on, the costs of carrying out the
recovery efforts authorized under this Act.
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