By Matthew Holloway |
The ‘Fix Our Forests Act’ introduced by Congressman Bruce Westerman (R-AR), co-sponsored by Congressman Paul Gosar (R-AZ), and supported by Congressman Eli Crane (R-AZ) passed the U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday in a 268-151 vote. The vote went largely along partisan lines with 55 Democrats joining the Republican Majority to advance it to the Senate. The act as explained by Crane’s office “would improve the health and resiliency of America’s forests.”
Citing the breadth of the designated forests in the United States at 117 million acres and with the stark warning that these forests are “overgrown, prone to fires, and in need of active management,” the Republican measure is designed to expedite the approvals process for forestry management and fire control. Both are imminent and ever-present concerns in the wildfire-prone high-desert grasslands and forests of Northern Arizona.
According to a press release from Crane’s office, the Fix Our Forests Act is designed to:
“Simplify and expedite environmental reviews to reduce costs and planning times for critical forest management projects while maintaining rigorous environmental standards;
End frivolous litigation that delays needed forest management projects;
Utilize state-of-the-art science to prioritize the treatment of forests at the highest risk of wildfire;
Incentivize forest management projects of up to 10,000 acres to increase the pace and scale of active management;
Promote federal, state, tribal, and local collaboration by creating a new Fireshed Center and codifying the Shared Stewardship initiative;
Make communities more resilient to wildfire by coordinating existing grant programs and incentivizing new research;
Give agencies new tools to restore watersheds, protect communities in the wildland-urban interface and prevent forest conversion;
Revitalize rural economies by strengthening tools such as Good Neighbor Authority and Stewardship Contracting;
Adopt new and innovative technologies to address forest health threats like wildfires, drought, insects and disease;
Harden utility rights-of-way against wildfire by encouraging more active management and removal of dangerous hazard trees.”
The Biden administration reportedly opposes the bill, and it could potentially meet with a veto if it passes the Senate. In a statement from the White House, the Biden-Harris administration wrote, “H.R. 8790, however, also contains a number of provisions that would undermine basic protections for communities, lands, waters, and wildlife; reduce opportunities for public input; and heighten the likelihood for conflict, litigation, and delay on needed forest restoration and resilience work,” the statement continued per the Washington Examiner. “The Administration therefore strongly opposes this bill.”
In a statement published by the Congressional Western Caucus, Rep. Westerman said, “America’s forests are on life support after decades of mismanagement. The clock on these ticking time bombs is down to the final few seconds, and Congress must move swiftly to save our forests from imminent destruction. Today, the House took decisive action on the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act, which will empower local land managers and agencies with tools to enact the most vital forest management projects. The time to fix our forests is now.”
In a post to X, Crane wrote, “Yesterday, I voted proudly in support of the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act, which would restore forest health and protect our communities in #AZ02. Thanks to @NatResources Chairman @RepWesterman for his leadership on this legislation.”
The bill was cosponsored by 17 Republicans including Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) and six Democrats and must now be taken up by the Senate.
Matthew Holloway is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
