Rep. Mike Kennedy meets with local leaders at Babylon Fire command post in San Juan

WASHINGTON, D.C. - On July 18, 2025, U.S. Rep. Mike Kennedy (UT-03), visited the incident command post for the Babylon Fire for a briefing, hearing directly from Manti-La Sal National Forest leadership and fire personnel who are managing the incident.

Kennedy was joined by U.S. Wildland Fire Service Great Basin Area Fire Chief Chris Delaney, Utah State Forestry, Fire & State Lands Deputy Director Brianne Emery, and San Juan County Commissioner Silvia Stubbs.

"You cannot measure this in acres burned or dollars lost. It is the exhaustion of people wondering about their own safety and the safety of the places they love," said Rep. Mike Kennedy. "We owe them the work. Not just the work this summer, but the work of the future. The work that makes the next fire season easier."

"Utah has experienced a very active wildfire season over the last two months, with multiple large fires igniting across the state," said Brianne Emery, Deputy Director, Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands. "The Babylon Fire is an example of the conditions our wildland firefighters have faced this summer. The hot, dry, and windy conditions have created a recipe for extreme fire behavior, which has led to the exponential growth of some of these wildfires. Resources from the state and federal agencies, along with local fire departments, have been actively engaged in protecting our communities and continue to be ready to respond when the time comes."

The briefing covered the fire's progression; the extreme weather and fuel conditions that drove the fire's behavior; response coordination among local, state, and federal agencies; impacts to livestock owners; and the suppression repair work that is already underway.

"The decisions about how our land is cared for, and how it gets protected when the time comes, often run through the slow mechanics of Washington, far from the people who live next to it," Kennedy said.

He continued, "That is why my team is working with local leaders and with people in this community to look at how federal, state, and local coordination worked on this fire. We are looking at every part of it, because we, just like the people of Utah, refuse to accept this type of destruction year after year."

Kennedy asked about cattle losses, assistance available to affected ranchers, firefighter safety, and lessons learned that could strengthen future wildfire response. The discussion also covered community wildfire education, structure preparedness, and the costs of managing a large, multi-agency incident.

"There are too few people in Congress who understand what this county and state are going through. My job is to make them understand it, and then to get them to do something about it," Kennedy said.

He added, "I want to put the pen in the hands of the locals. Their expertise has to drive federal decisions from the ground up. Utahns will be here when the crews go home. Utahns will be looking at that scarred ground for years. And Utahns will ultimately have to live with the decisions that are made."

Following the briefing, Kennedy toured the incident command post, San Juan, and met with additional personnel supporting the Babylon Fire response.

Background:

Rep. Kennedy represents Utah's Third Congressional District, which includes the areas affected by the Babylon Fire. Kennedy requested this briefing to hear directly from the local, state, and federal personnel managing the incident, and to bring that firsthand perspective into his work on federal wildfire and forest policy.

As Vice Chairman of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands, the subcommittee with direct jurisdiction over federal forest land, Rep. Mike Kennedy, M.D. (UT-03) has made wildfire prevention and forest management a legislative priority.

• Utah Wildfire Research Institute Act (H.R. 1045) . Rep. Kennedy is the House sponsor. The House has passed the bill, which now awaits action in the Senate. It would establish a federal wildfire research institute at Utah State University, adding Utah as the fourth Southwest Ecological Restoration Institute alongside Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. The institute would give Utah's firefighters, land managers, and communities better data, fire modeling, and mitigation tools.
• TORCH Act (H.R. 7578) . Rep. Kennedy introduced this bill, reintroducing legislation from the late Rep. Doug LaMalfa as a tribute to his work on forest health, to speed up essential forest health projects. It expands categorical exclusions for low-impact safety work, reduces duplicative consultations that stall restoration after a fire, and expedites the removal of hazardous trees near power lines to prevent electrical sparks.
• Fix Our Forests Act (H.R. 471) . Rep. Kennedy supported this bill, which passed the House and awaits Senate action. It speeds up forest management and hazardous fuels reduction projects, expedites environmental reviews, and equips local leaders with better tools and data. Senator Curtis (R-UT) is leading the Senate version.
• Cross-Boundary Wildfire Solutions Act (H.R. 3922) . Rep. Kennedy cosponsored this bill to improve wildfire mitigation across land ownership boundaries by bringing federal, state, local, tribal, and private partners together on an all-hands-on-deck approach.

  Read more about Rep. Kennedy's wildfire work here.