Hazardous Fuels Transportation Assistance Act of 2026

This bill directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a competitive grant program to help remove and transport material from wildfire risk reduction activities on National Forest System land. The program aims to incentivize the use of byproducts from vegetation management like thinning or timber harvest that might otherwise go unused.

Sec. 2, Hazardous fuels transportation assistance program: The Secretary must create a grant program within 180 days for eligible recipients (for-profit entities, nonprofits, states, local governments, Indian Tribes, and higher education institutions) to remove material from hazardous fuels management activities under existing Forest Service contracts. Applicants must describe their project, estimated cost, and why the material would not be used without the grant.

Eligible uses: Grants can fund transporting byproducts (roundwood, chips, biomass), costs for woodyards and loading facilities, purchasing or leasing transport equipment, equipment maintenance, workforce development and training (including with Indian Tribes), and other transport expenses the Secretary deems necessary.

Ineligible uses: Grants cannot be used for construction or capital improvements (including processing facilities), stumpage or timber purchases, or other expenses the Secretary determines ineligible.

Prioritization: The Secretary must prioritize proposals that treat high-risk firesheds, maximize acres treated, maximize volume transported, retain existing forest products infrastructure, develop new wood processing facilities, increase long-term forest product use, utilize material from Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration or Joint Chiefs Landscape Restoration Partnership projects, and remove material through good neighbor agreements, stewardship contracts, self-determination contracts, or Tribal Forest Protection Act agreements.

Funding: $25,000,000 is authorized per fiscal year from 2027 through 2031. No single grant may exceed $3,000,000 per fiscal year, and no more than $250,000 per grant per fiscal year may be used for purchasing equipment. Grants generally cover up to 75% of project costs, but Indian Tribes may receive up to 90%.