A bipartisan pair of senators introduced legislation Wednesday to boost wildfire defense grants for communities, as Congress and the Trump administration hash out the federal government’s proper role in local fire protection.
Sens. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) proposed the “Community Protection and Wildfire Resilience Act,” mirroring bipartisan legislation in the House from California Reps. Jared Huffman (D) and Jay Obernolte (R).
The bill would devote $1 billion annually to help communities devise wildfire protection plans including home hardening, early detection, evacuation planning and other measures. Low-income communities would be given top priority, the sponsors said in a news release.
The community hardening grants would be run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and home hardening would become eligible for grants through the Forest Service’s community wildfire defense grants.
