Fire Safe Electrical Corridors Act of 2025

Floor Speech

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Mr. CARBAJAL. Mr. Speaker, I extend my thanks to Chairman Westerman and Ranking Member Huffman for their support in advancing my bipartisan legislation, Fire Safe Electrical Corridors Act, which I introduced with Representatives Valadao, Costa, and Fitzpatrick.

My Fire Safe Electrical Corridors Act is a commonsense solution to help us reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires. It simply allows the United States Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management to approve the removal of hazardous trees or vegetation near power lines on Federal land without the need for a timber sale.

Unfortunately, catastrophic wildfires continue to ravage the Western United States, and we need commonsense solutions that balance sustainable forest management practices with reducing wildfire risks. My legislation strives to find that solution and that balance.

Currently, the United States Forest Service allows utility companies to cut down trees and branches in existing utility corridors. However, the dead vegetation cannot be removed from Federal land without a timber sale. This has created unnecessary red tape and led to the buildup of dry fuels around utility lines.

We cannot continue with the status quo. Inaction can be deadly. I know because we have seen it. The 2017 Thomas fire, which created the conditions for the deadly Montecito debris flow that killed 23 people in my district. The 2018 Camp fire and the 2021 Dixie fire were all started by electrical equipment. These fires were some of the largest and most destructive fires in California's history.

If we can take action to help save lives and protect property, we should. While there is more work ahead of us to continue to reduce the risk of wildfires, this is an important step. I am glad to be able to work with my colleagues across the aisle to get this done.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this important piece of legislation.

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