On July 18, U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) introduced the Responsible Wildland Fire Recovery Act. The proposed legislation seeks to empower the Secretary of Agriculture to waive all cost-share requirements for U.S. forest landowners and managers affected by wildland fires.
“From an early age I was taught, when you break something, you leave it better than you found it. That same life principle applies to our communities that were destroyed by wildfires that started as well-intentioned federal land management activities. However, the federal government currently bears no responsibility to fully cover costs for remediation and recovery,” said Sen. Luján in a July 18 press release. “This practice is dangerous for New Mexico’s small, rural communities as they must bear the financial burden of rebuilding their homes and infrastructure. That’s why I’m introducing bipartisan legislation that allows the Secretary of Agriculture to remove costs share requirements and ensure local communities are not left to fend for themselves during their recovery.”
According to the press release, U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján and Cynthia Lummis jointly introduced the Responsible Wildland Fire Recovery Act, which aims to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to waive all cost-share requirements for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs when wildfires are initiated by controlled burns and other land management activities conducted by the USDA on National Forest System land. The bill addresses the existing gap in covering remediation costs in cases where the government is accountable for igniting wildfires.
“Controlled burns by the federal government are one of the most effective preventive techniques to protect Wyoming communities from the deadly threat of wildfires,” said Sen. Lummis, according to the press release. “While it is rare, these controlled burns can get out of control and wreak havoc on the very areas they are supposed to protect. The Responsible Wildfire Response Act provides the Secretary of Agriculture with the necessary tools to remedy any damage done to Wyoming communities by controlled burns while continuing to practice responsible wildfire prevention.”
The Responsible Wildland Fire Recovery Act grants the Secretary of Agriculture the authority to completely fund cash cost share obligations and enables the Secretary to accelerate essential reconstruction of infrastructure in communities that have been severely affected by uncontrollable wildfires according to the press release.
