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

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie