Gallego Reintroduces Bill to Protect the West from Wildfires, Help Restore Watersheds

Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) has reintroduced a bill investing in protecting the American West from wildfires, restoring watersheds, and other measures to mitigate the effects of drought and other phenomena.

Aptly named the Protect the West Act, Sen. Gallego's bill creates a $60 billion budget for the endeavor, with $20 billion going directly to state, local, and Tribal governments to tackle environmental issues.

The other $40 billion will be used to eliminate the backlog of restoration, fire mitigation, and resilience projects on public, private, and Tribal lands.

Additional measures include creating an Outdoor Restoration & Watershed Fund for local efforts, establishing an advisory council to oversee directives, advise funding priorities, and coordinate regional efforts, and investing in greater preemptive wildfire prevention and natural hazard mitigation rather than recovery efforts after the fact, as preemptive measures are 30 times more cost-effective than recovery efforts.

In his press release, Sen. Gallego said, "In Arizona and across the West, we face a rapidly growing backlog of projects for wildfire mitigation, drought resilience, and land restoration. I'm proud to help introduce the Protect the West Act, which will finally give states and tribes the tools they need to take on these projects, all while creating good-paying jobs and boosting rural economies."

Cosponsors of the bill include Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV).

Across the Capitol in the House of Representatives and across party lines, Representative Eli Crane (R-AZ) has introduced bills related to conservation efforts, including the October Legacy Mine Cleanup Act, the Fix Our Forests Act, which passed in late September, and the March Hire Veterans Act, which would create a five-year pilot program to hire military veterans with relevant skills into the Bureau of Land Management and Forest/National Park Services.

"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," Rep. Crane said in March.