Jim Costa
05/13/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/14/2025 14:39
Costa Backed Bill to Reduce Wildfires Passes the House
WASHINGTON- Congressman Jim Costa (CA-21) released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the FireSafeElectrical Corridors Actwould reduce the procedural steps needed for removing hazardous vegetation near power lines, cutting red tape to allow for a more streamlined process to combat wildfire risk.
"As our communities continue to recover from devastating wildfires, the House took the right step by passing the Fire Safe Electrical Corridors Act to help prevent future disasters," said Congressman Costa. "This legislation will cut red tape, streamline the removal of hazardous vegetation near power lines, and strengthen our infrastructure to better protect homes and businesses."
"California is no stranger to destructive wildfires, and in the Central Valley, we live with the consequences," said Congressman Valadao. "Far too often, bureaucratic red tape gets in the way of proper forest management, and it directly impacts air quality in the Valley. It shouldn't be so hard to remove the dead trees we know make fires worse, and I'm glad to see this commonsense step toward reducing wildfire risk cross the finish line in the House."
"The Western United States continues to experience catastrophic wildfires, and we need common-sense solutions that balance sustainable forest management practices with reducing wildfirerisks," said Congressman Carbajal. "My bipartisan bill strives to find this balance and is a common sense solution to protect our communities."
"As Co-Chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, I've worked to advance practical, prevention-first solutions to reduce wildfire risks. The House's bipartisan passage of the Fire SafeElectrical Corridors Act is a meaningful step forward-cutting through red tape to allow for the saferemoval of hazardous vegetation near power lines on federal lands. This commonsense measure will help protect lives, support our firefighters, and make our communities more resilient in the face of growing wildfire threats," said Congressman Fitzpatrick.
BACKGROUND
The FireSafeElectrical Corridors Actstreamlines the removal of hazardous vegetation near power lines on federal lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management. Currently, utility companies must obtain a timber sale approval before clearing dead or fallen trees near power infrastructure, creating bureaucratic delays. This bill removes that unnecessary step, allowing for quicker action to reduce wildfire risk.
Originally introduced in 2023 by Reps. Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Jim Costa (CA-21), David Valadao (CA-22) and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), along with Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Steve Daines (R-MT).
"As our communities continue to recover from devastating wildfires, the House took the right step by passing the Fire Safe Electrical Corridors Act to help prevent future disasters," said Congressman Costa. "This legislation will cut red tape, streamline the removal of hazardous vegetation near power lines, and strengthen our infrastructure to better protect homes and businesses."
"California is no stranger to destructive wildfires, and in the Central Valley, we live with the consequences," said Congressman Valadao. "Far too often, bureaucratic red tape gets in the way of proper forest management, and it directly impacts air quality in the Valley. It shouldn't be so hard to remove the dead trees we know make fires worse, and I'm glad to see this commonsense step toward reducing wildfire risk cross the finish line in the House."
"The Western United States continues to experience catastrophic wildfires, and we need common-sense solutions that balance sustainable forest management practices with reducing wildfirerisks," said Congressman Carbajal. "My bipartisan bill strives to find this balance and is a common sense solution to protect our communities."
"As Co-Chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, I've worked to advance practical, prevention-first solutions to reduce wildfire risks. The House's bipartisan passage of the Fire SafeElectrical Corridors Act is a meaningful step forward-cutting through red tape to allow for the saferemoval of hazardous vegetation near power lines on federal lands. This commonsense measure will help protect lives, support our firefighters, and make our communities more resilient in the face of growing wildfire threats," said Congressman Fitzpatrick.
BACKGROUND
The FireSafeElectrical Corridors Actstreamlines the removal of hazardous vegetation near power lines on federal lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management. Currently, utility companies must obtain a timber sale approval before clearing dead or fallen trees near power infrastructure, creating bureaucratic delays. This bill removes that unnecessary step, allowing for quicker action to reduce wildfire risk.
Originally introduced in 2023 by Reps. Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Jim Costa (CA-21), David Valadao (CA-22) and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), along with Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Steve Daines (R-MT).
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