H.R. 528 would direct the Department of the Interior (DOI) to identify post-disaster reforestation and restoration projects on federal and Indian lands and would authorize the department to implement those projects using grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements.
Under current law, DOI conducts land recovery and restoration activities following natural disasters through the Burned Area Emergency Response and the Burned Area Rehabilitation programs. As a result, CBO expects that the bill would largely codify existing activities.
The bill also would require the department to report annually to the Congress on project activities and remaining restoration needs. Based on the cost of similar administrative and reporting activities, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost $1 million over the 2026–2031 period for outreach and reporting. Any related spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Christopher Mann. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.
