Emergency Mountain Pine Beetle Response and Coordination Act

What it does

• •Establishes a competitive grant program under the U.S. Forest Service for sponsors (states, local governments, Indian tribes, water districts, and utilities) to fund mountain pine beetle response projects on National Forest System lands.
• •Defines eligible projects to include removal of beetle-killed trees, forest thinning, reforestation, ecological restoration, and watershed protection measures aimed at restoring forest health and reducing wildfire risk.
• •Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into cooperative agreements with governors, Indian tribes, county/municipal governments, and political subdivisions to coordinate monitoring, planning, treatment, and workforce development for mountain pine beetle management.
• •Provides technical assistance through the Forest Service, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, and Rural Development for monitoring, detection, mitigation strategies, and wood processing infrastructure development.

Why it matters

• •Mountain pine beetle outbreaks cause significant tree mortality and create hazards related to public safety, critical infrastructure, and watershed health, necessitating coordinated federal response.
• •Grants and cooperative agreements are designed to prioritize protection of municipal water supplies, reduction of wildfire risk in wildland-urban interface areas, and alignment with state forest action plans.
• •The program addresses workforce and wood processing capacity to manage beetle-killed trees and create economic opportunities through byproducts including mass timber and wood energy innovation.

Who is affected

• •States, local governments, Indian tribes, water management districts, water utilities, and electrical utilities seeking grants or cooperative agreements for beetle response projects.
• •Communities in wildland-urban interface areas and those dependent on municipal water supplies protected by funded projects.
• •Workforce and wood processing industries engaged in beetle kill tree management and development of timber byproducts.

What happens next

The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry on August 6, 2026, and awaits further committee consideration.