ICYMI: Padilla, Western Senators Introduce Bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act to Combat Wildfires

A list of Senate Fix Our Forests Act provisions particularly impactful for California is available here

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In case you missed it, last week, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), co-chair of the bipartisan Senate Wildfire Caucus, and Senators John Curtis (R-Utah), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) introduced the Senate version of the Fix Our Forests Act, bipartisan legislation to combat catastrophic wildfires, restore forest ecosystems, and make federal forest management more efficient and responsive.

The comprehensive Senate bill reflects months of bipartisan Senate negotiations to find consensus on how to best improve forest management practices, accelerate processes to protect communities, advance watershed restoration, and strengthen partnerships between federal agencies, states, tribes, and private stakeholders. The Senate version of the bill would also bolster coordination efforts across agencies through a new Wildfire Intelligence Center, which would streamline the federal response and create a whole-of-government approach to combating wildfires.

A one-pager on the bill is available here.

See coverage on the Senate version of the Fix Our Forests Act below:

LA Times: California Sen. Padilla hopes Fix Our Forests Act will prevent more L.A. fires

By Faith E. Pinho

• Months after wildfires ravaged Los Angeles County, California Sen. Alex Padilla is hoping his bill to overhaul forest management and prevent wildfires might be the first bipartisan measure for President Trump to sign.

• "I don't think anything could completely prevent wildfires, but through this work, if we can prevent just one more community from experiencing the heartbreak felt by the families in Santa Rosa or in Paradise or the Pacific Palisades and Altadena, then this effort would've been worth it," Padilla said Thursday.

• Padilla, who chairs the Senate Wildfire Caucus, joined with a bipartisan group of senators from the West - Sens. John Curtis (R-Utah), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) - to introduce the Fix Our Forests Act, which mirrors a bipartisan measure of the same name that the House passed in January.

• The Fix Our Forests Act would usher in sweeping changes to how the federal government manages its land - which constitutes 45% of the uninhabited, wildfire-prone land in California, according to the Congressional Research Service. It would create a wildfire intelligence center to centralize federal management, require assessments of fireshed areas and streamline how communities reduce their wildfire risk. It also would ramp up research into wildfire mitigation technologies and change some forestation treatments. […]

• Padilla argued that his bill improved upon issues brought by those groups, including adding a provision for prescribed burns, "building on the expertise and experience of Native American tribes that have been implementing prescribed fires for generations."

• The Senate version also redefined projects eligible for grants, "to make sure that the L.A. would be eligible right now," said Matt Weiner, chief executive and founder of the advocacy organization Megafire Action, which pushed for the legislation.

• "I think it's pretty crazy, frankly, that we're on the cusp of getting to the president's desk here a bill that he could sign into law that would be bipartisan and one of the most comprehensive rewrites of federal wildfire policy in decades," Weiner said. "Amid all the chaos, there's an opportunity to do something really meaningful here in a bipartisan way." […]

• California's leaders - including Gov. Gavin Newsom and Cal Fire Chief Joe Tyler - applauded the Senate version of the bill. Newsom pointed to his own efforts temporarily lifting state regulations to speed up rebuilding in the wake of the L.A. fires.

• "The Fix Our Forest Act is a step forward that will build on this progress - enabling good projects to happen faster on federal lands," Newsom said in a statement.

Axios San Diego: New bill aims to bolster fight against wildfires in California

By Kate Murphy

• A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the West is introducing a bill to combat "catastrophic" wildfires and overhaul forest management.

• Why it matters: Climate change and drought are causing wildfires to become more intense, widespread and harder to put out.

• The legislation comes after the Los Angeles County blazes in January were called one of the costliest wildfire events in U.S. history, with estimated damages reaching up to $131 billion.

• State of play: Some highlights of the Fix Our Forests Act - sponsored by Sens. John Curtis (R-Utah), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) -are :

• Reducing wildfire risks in certain areas with more cross-boundary collaboration.
  • Creating an interagency program to help communities build wildfire-resistant measures.
  • Increasing research to test and utilize wildfire prevention technologies. […]

• What they're saying: As the state faces more frequent and catastrophic wildfires, this bill "prioritizes building fire-resilient communities, accelerating the removal of hazardous fuels, and strengthening coordination across federal, state, and tribal agencies, including through the creation of the first-ever National Wildfire Intelligence Center," Sen. Padilla said in a statement.

PoliticoPro: Western senators lead bipartisan push for wildfire mitigation bill

By Jordan Wolman

• A bipartisan group Western-state senators is planning to introduce wildfire mitigation legislation that would expedite forest-thinning projects, establish an interagency risk-and-response center and set stricter limits on legal challenges.

• Republicans John Curtis of Utah and Tim Sheehy of Montana are joining Democrats Alex Padilla of California and John Hickenlooper of Colorado in sponsoring the Fix Our Forests Act, according to a draft of the bill shared first with POLITICO.

• The legislation, which passed the House in a bipartisan vote earlier this year after wildfires devastated Los Angeles, presents a rare opportunity for compromise in Congress and a chance for progress on forestry and wildfire issues that have plagued the West in recent years. […]

• The Senate bill also has support from groups including The Nature Conservancy, Environmental Defense Fund, International Association of Fire Chiefs and Megafire Action.

The Senate version of the bill has received significant support from environmental groups, first responders, and wildfire organizations, including:

The Nature Conservancy; National Wildlife Federation; Environmental Defense Fund; National Audubon Society; Citizens' Climate Lobby; Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership; Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition; The Stewardship Project; the Federation of American Scientists; CAL FIRE; the International Association of Fire Chiefs; Alliance for Wildfire Resilience; Megafire Action; the Association for Firetech Innovation; Climate & Wildfire Institute; Tall Timbers; Bipartisan Policy Center Action (BPC Action); Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors (HECHO); the American Property Casualty Insurance Association; and the Property and Environment Research Center.

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