Letter to Hon. Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader; Hon. Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader; Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House; Hon. Kevin McCarthy, House Minority Leader - Daines, Gianforte Urge Passage of Bipartisan Forest Management Bil
Letter
Dear Leader McConnell, Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, and Leader McCarthy,
We write to you near the end of another catastrophic wildfire year. Over 8.7 million acres
have burned in the West, 2.2 million acres more than the ten-year average. Experts predict that
this trend will continue, as rising temperatures lead to drier, hotter conditions in many parts of
the West. While Congress has provided new tools and increased funding to public land
management agencies in recent years, we believe more action is needed. We urge you to enact
policy reforms from our bipartisan, bicameral "Emergency Wildfire and Public Safety Act"
before the end of the year.
Our "Emergency Wildfire and Public Safety Act" would provide federal agencies with
the tools they need to reduce hazardous fuel loads, protect communities, and support forestry
jobs and biomass development. S. 4431/H.R.7978 is the result of extensive stakeholder
engagement, outreach across party lines, and months of deliberations to ensure a truly bipartisan,
pragmatic approach to reduce the risk of wildfire. This legislation has the support of over 100
organizations, including governors, mayors, counties, conservation organizations, and fire
departments. As evidenced by the millions of acres that have burned this year, the hundreds of
thousands of families forced to flee their homes, and the water, air, and wildlife habitat
decimated by wildland fires this year, it is past time for Congress to act.
Each year that Congress delays in passing forestry legislation, we jeopardize the lives and
homes of our constituents. We respectfully urge you to include provisions from S. 4431/H.R.
7978 in any end-of-year legislative package and support passage of this Western priority. Thank
you for considering this request, and we look forward to continuing to work with you on this
important issue.
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