H.R. 1873 would allow electric utilities to submit to the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) long-term plans that would guide vegetation management and maintenance activities on or adjacent to rights-of-way containing electrical infrastructure on federal lands. Under the bill, the affected agencies would be required to review and respond to each plan within 90 days. Under the bill electric utilities that have notified those agencies of vegetation that could come into contact with a transmission line would be exempt from legal liability in the event of a subsequent wildfire.
Based on information provided by the affected agencies and assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost $12 million over the 2018-2022 period. H.R. 1873 would affect direct spending by reducing the amount of damages the federal government would collect from private firms in the event of certain fires; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. However, CBO estimates that any such effects would be negligible. Enacting the bill would not affect revenues.
CBO also estimates that enacting H.R. 1873 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028.
H.R. 1873 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.
