Utah Wildfire Research Institute Act of 2025

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. KENNEDY of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 1045, the Utah Wildfire Research Institute Act of 2025.

Utah is in a wildfire crisis. Our unique environment makes wildfires a constant danger. It is common to drive down I-15, a major thoroughfare in Utah, in the warm months and see fire on the side of our beautiful mountains.

In 2004, Congress created three regional centers in Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico dedicated to strengthening forest health and reducing wildfire risk. These centers, now collectively known as the Southwest Ecological Restoration Institutes, or SWERI, serve as hubs for research, data sharing, and on-the-ground collaboration. They bring together the expertise of our universities with the experience of State, local, and Federal land managers.

Since 2004, Utah has had over 23,000 wildfires and over 3 million acres burned. These aren't mere statistics but represent impacted livelihoods, damaged watersheds, strained emergency responders, and long-term burdens on our economy, infrastructure, and public safety.

These fires have scarred our lands and endangered our growing population. For us in Utah, the next major wildfire is not a question of if but when and how devastating it will be.

That is why the Utah Wildfire Research Institute Act is essential. By passing this bill, Congress has the opportunity to strengthen how we understand, prevent, and respond to wildfire in the Mountain West.

As the only Four Corners State to not have a SWERI facility, it is only right for Utah to have a dedicated hub focused on the wildfire challenges facing Utah and the surrounding States.

It will allow our universities, firefighters, land managers, and Federal partners to work together. It will help us understand fire behavior in high-elevation deserts. It will support innovations in fuel management, post-fire watershed recovery, and community resilience. More importantly, the Utah wildfire institute will ensure that we are not simply reacting to each crisis as it comes but planning ahead.

This bill reflects what Utahns already know, that collaboration, science-based planning, and proactive management are the most effective tools we have to protect our land and our people. It is a vote for safer communities, healthier forests and rangelands, and responsible stewardship of the places that we call home.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the Utah Wildfire Research Institute Act as this investment will protect Utah for generations to come.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source