A bill cosponsored by Representative Eli Crane (R-AZ) to improve federally-owned forested land has passed out of the House of Representatives with all Republicans and 55 Democrats supporting it.
Named the "Fix Our Forests" Act and initially introduced by Representative Bruce Westerman (R-AR), the bill expedites environmental reviews for forest management projects, among other provisions such as promoting federal, state, tribal, and local collaboration by creating a new Fireshed Center and codifying the Shared Stewardship initiative.
Additional aspects of the Fix Our Forests Act include:
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- Enhancing the coordination of grant programs toward wildfire resilience.
- Strengthening the Good Neighbor Authority and Stewardship Contracting.
- Hardening utility rights-of-way against wildfire by encouraging more active management and removing dangerous hazard trees.
Rep. Crane noted that the Federal government owns 640 million acres of land in the West. Yet, the Forest Service has only been able to restore 3.21 million acres in Fiscal Year 2022 and has a 4 million acre backlog of treatment.
"Yesterday, I voted proudly in support of the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act, which would restore forest health and protect our communities in #AZ02. Thanks to @NatResources Chairman @RepWesterman for his leadership on this legislation," Rep. Crane posted to X (formerly Twitter).
Yesterday, I voted proudly in support of the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act, which would restore forest health and protect our communities in #AZ02.
Thanks to @NatResources Chairman @RepWesterman for his leadership on this legislation. pic.twitter.com/zT4sL6UM7O
— Rep. Eli Crane (@RepEliCrane) September 25, 2024
In March, the Arizona Congressman introduced a bill prioritizing hiring military veterans with relevant skills into Federal land management agencies such as the Forest Service, as these organizations have faced severe staffing shortages in recent years.
"With this bill, Congress has the opportunity to both streamline the employment process for veterans AND [emphasis his] better ensure that our natural resources are protected for future generations. I'm grateful to be able to introduce this legislation that serves our veterans while furthering the responsible stewardship of U.S. land," Crane previously said.
In additional comments to Cactus Politics that same month, Crane called the Hire Veterans Act "a win-win" not only because it helped veterans find work more easily but also because it solved the problems of staffing Federal land management agencies and had bipartisan appeal.
