Republican wildfire, forest-thinning bill clears committee

By Marc Heller | 06/27/2024 06:15 AM EDT

The “Fix Our Forests Act” would create “firesheds” for loosened environmental reviews and quicker hazardous fuels removal.

House Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.).

The House Natural Resources Committee approved forest management legislation from Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) on Wednesday. Francis Chung/POLITICO

Legislation to promote forest thinning and other tools against wildfires passed the House Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday, but its prospects aren’t clear in the Democratic-led Senate.

The committee approved the “Fix Our Forests Act,” H.R. 8790 by Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), on a voice vote.

The bill would create federal “firesheds” at greatest risk of severe wildfire and ease environmental reviews of forest projects in those areas, designated by the Forest Service.

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It would put new limits on litigation around such projects and loosen court-imposed requirements for additional consultation between the Forest Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service on endangered species issues.

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