Lawmakers and advocates calling for more prescribed fires on public lands may get one more chance this year to advance the long-simmering issue.
They say a lame-duck session of Congress after the elections could be the time to slip Sen. Ron Wyden’s latest proposal on the issue into a larger bill on public lands policies — assuming they can get it through the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in November. Several wildfire-related bills are in contention.
Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, has been trying since 2020 to push through his legislation, called the “National Prescribed Fire Act,” S. 4424. It’s run into concerns about air pollution and purposely set fires escaping control, but supporters said they think the prospects are improving.
The legislation was among several dozen bills the committee was scheduled to consider Sept. 26 as Congress left for recess. The meeting’s been rescheduled for Nov. 19, and the Wyden bill — co-sponsored by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) — would face a crowded legislative agenda dominated by annual appropriations and disaster assistance.
