With Southern California still reeling from devastating wildfires, House Republicans on Tuesday pressed legislation to address fire risks on and around federal lands.
While the tie between forest fires on federal land and the destruction in neighborhoods around Los Angeles isn’t entirely direct, House Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) pointed to provisions in one bill — his “Fix Our Forests Act“— that he said would reduce the risks in areas where development borders on wilderness.
That bill advanced out of the Rules Committee on Tuesday, on the way to floor consideration Thursday.
Another bill, to require more accurate reporting by the Forest Service on acreage treated to lessen the danger of wildfire, passed the House on Tuesday through fast-track procedures.