Luján, Fischer, Lummis Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Waive Local Cost Share for Fires Started by the Federal Government

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), and Cynthis Lummis (R-Wyo.) announced the introduction of the bipartisan Responsible Wildland Fire Recovery Act, legislation to boost federal wildfire recovery efforts. The legislation would allow the Secretary of Agriculture to waive all cost share requirements for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs as a result of wildfires started by controlled burns and other land management activities conducted by the USDA on National Forest System land. Current law does not fully cover remediation costs in cases where the government is responsible for a wildfire ignition.

The Responsible Wildland Fire Recovery Act empowers the Secretary of Agriculture to fully cover cost share requirements and allows the Secretary to expedite much needed infrastructural repairs in communities devastated by wildfires out of their control.

"Well-intentioned federal controlled burns and land management activities can be critical tools for preventing devastating wildfires, however, if they unexpectedly escape containment, they can devastate communities. Many New Mexicans know this devastation personally after living through the Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon fire. While I passed legislation to rebuild communities in the aftermath of Hermit's Peak, the federal government currently bears no responsibility to fully cover costs for remediation and recovery," said Senator Luján. "That's why I'm introducing bipartisan legislation that allows the Secretary of Agriculture to remove costs share requirements and ensure communities across the country are not left to fend for themselves during their recovery."

"If a prescribed burn, started by the federal government, escapes containment, Nebraskans shouldn't be left to foot the bill for recovery. Our bipartisan Responsible Wildland Fire Recovery Act will protect Nebraskans from being impacted by the federal government if prescribed burns are mismanaged and destructive to private property," said Senator Fischer.

"Federal controlled burns are one of our most effective tools for protecting Wyoming communities from catastrophic wildfires," said Senator Lummis. "While these prescribed fires rarely escape containment, when they do, they can damage the very areas they're designed to protect. The Responsible Wildland Fire Recovery Act gives the Secretary of Agriculture the authority to compensate affected residents and repair any damage from when controlled burns exceed their boundaries-while maintaining our commitment to proven wildfire prevention strategies."

"In the rare case where federal action to reduce fire risk causes loss, it is important that we have the ability to make communities whole," said Annie Schmidt, co-founder of Alliance for Wildfire Resilience. "We are excited to see a bipartisan approach to fire rehabilitation- including the ability to waive cost-share requirements for communities when necessary."

A summary of the bill can be found HERE. Full text of the bill is available HERE.

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