Two GOP bills and one bipartisan Senate bill hope to reduce the wildfire risk in the West. The "Wildfires Management Act of 2017" is sponsored by the two Republican senators of Idaho and three of the four Democratic senators of Washington and Oregon.
The first of the three bills is H.R. 2936, the "Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017," introduced by Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), which Congress will vote on next week, said Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif, in a Washington Post article by Matthew Daly, AP's Congressional reporter, on Oct. 26.
"The Resilient Federal Forests Act is the only solution on the table to bend the cost curve of fire suppression and prevent wildfires from becoming uncontrollable, life-threatening calamities," said Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) in an Oct. 26 press release by the House Committee on Natural Resources.
However, Democrats and environmentalists see the bill as a means to sanction clear-cutting and eliminate environmental regulations on logging, writes Daly. Furthermore, it ignores the influence of climate change, which is believed to be connected to the historic droughts in the West that lead to the destructive wildfires.
“Denying science and waiving the National Environmental Policy Act is the Republican prescription for everything,” said Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz, the senior Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee.
A GOP Senate bill, the ‘Wildfire Prevention and Mitigation Act of 2017’’, primarily authored by Sen. John Barrasso R-Wyo, chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, "would greatly expand categorical exclusions and measures to reduce litigation risk" and reverses an appeals court decision requiring federal agencies in certain circumstances to consult with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service according to the committee's Oct. 23 press release.
The third bill, S.1991, introduced by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee ranking member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) on Oct. 19, unlike the first two, is bipartisan, as it is co-sponsored by the two Republican senators of Idaho, James E. Risch and Mike Crapo, along with Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.).
The Wildfires Management Act of 2017 "provides up to $100 million in funding to at-risk communities to plan and prepare for wildfires" and "[e]stablishes a pilot program that directs the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior to treat their top 1% most-at-risk, least-controversial lands over the next 10 years," according to Sen. Cantwell.
Daly reported on this bill separately on Oct. 20.
FULL STORY: GOP targets environmental rules after wildfires
Bipartisan Support for Federal Diesel Emissions Reduction Bill
Established in 2005 to reduce toxic diesel emissions, the Diesel Emissions Reductions Act expired in 2016. A bipartisan effort appears to be in place to see it reauthorized this year.
A Win for ‘Keep it in the Ground’
Coal mining in Wyoming will take a major hit as a result of a U.S. Department of Interior plan to cease future leasing of coal mines in the nation's most productive coal mining basin. The decision casts a spotlight on the presidential election.
Undoing Biden's EV Rule
The partisan divide over how government should reduce greenhouse gas emissions was on full display after the Biden administration finalized its emissions standards rule for light and medium duty vehicles on March 20.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?
Car Designs Make it Harder to See Pedestrians
Blind spots created by thicker pillars built to withstand rollover crashes are creating dangerous conditions for people outside vehicles.
Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.
What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie