A House Natural Resources subcommittee will take testimony on four wildfire- and forestry-related bills Tuesday, including a measure to speed communications-related projects on land hit by natural disasters.
The communications bill, called the “Wildfire Communications Resiliency Act,” H.R. 1655, would exempt certain infrastructure projects from reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act if they’re carried out within five years of a declared disaster such as wildfire.
Rep. Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.) is the lead sponsor on the bill, a reintroduction of a measure last proposed in 2023.
Lawmakers on the Subcommittee on Federal Lands will also hear about a bill to establish a wildfire research institute in Utah, sponsored by Rep. Mike Kennedy (R-Utah).
