The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s top legislative priority took another step forward when Senators John Curtis (R-Utah), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) introduced S. 1462, the Fix Our Forest Act. The U.S. House passed a similar bipartisan version three months earlier.
“RMEF has long supported reforms of federal policy to actively manage our forests, sagebrush and grasslands for improved wildlife habitat and reduced catastrophic fire risk. That is why we strongly support the passage of the Fix Our Forests Act,” said RMEF President and CEO Kyle Weaver.
The legislation simplifies environmental reviews of forest management projects by expanding categorical exclusions, meaning agencies can do more and larger projects with expedited review criteria, and the bill reverses the Cottonwood decision, a controversial 2015 ruling by the 9th Circuit Court that frustrates forest management by requiring costly and duplicative re-consultations over endangered species even when the proposed projects are to improve wildlife habitat.
Thirty-six wildlife conservation and sportsmen groups joined RMEF in supporting the bill, as well as numerous state and tribal resource managers. And recently, a prominent national science group also endorsed it.
“Swift passage of the Fix Our Forests Act in the Senate would put us on track to better manage the entire wildfire lifecycle of prevention, suppression and recovery, including through smart and systematic use of science and technology for decision support,” said Daniel Correa, chief executive officer of the Federation of American Scientists.
The House vote was 279-141 in favor of its version in late January. RMEF members sent more than 5,000 messages to 417 members of Congress over a 30-hour period prior to the vote.
To become law, the Senate must pass its version, likely needing 60 votes to overcome a filibuster, work with House leaders to iron out differences and then forward that version for a presidential signature.
(Photo credit: Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation)