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The Fix Our Forests Act aims to address the growing threat of catastrophic wildfires by accelerating the pace of forest management and restoration projects. The bill proposes to simplify environmental review processes under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for specific activities, such as removing hazardous fuels and thinning overgrown forests. It also seeks to limit legal delays by establishing new standards for judicial review and discouraging what the bill's sponsors describe as frivolous litigation that can stall critical safety projects for years.
If enacted, the legislation would establish a new interagency Wildfire Intelligence Center and a Fireshed Center to coordinate fire prevention and response across federal, state, and tribal agencies. It also proposes to create "fireshed management areas" where high-risk zones receive priority funding and expedited treatment. For local communities, the bill would consolidate grant applications into a single portal, making it easier for towns near forests to access federal funds for building wildfire-resistant infrastructure and creating defensible spaces around homes.
Additionally, the bill would support innovative technologies like biochar production and expand the use of prescribed burns to manage forest health. It also includes provisions to allow utility companies to more easily remove vegetation near power lines to prevent electrical fires. While supporters argue these changes are necessary to protect lives and property from increasingly severe fire seasons, some critics have expressed concern that the expedited permitting could reduce environmental oversight and increase commercial logging on public lands.
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Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 119-74.
May 6, 2025
May 6, 2025 · 19:00
The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held a legislative hearing on May 6, 2025, to examine S.1462, the Fix Our Forests Act. The bill, introduced by Senators John Curtis, John Hickenlooper, Alex Padilla, and Tim Sheehy, seeks to improve forest management activities on National Forest System lands, Bureau of Land Management lands, and tribal lands to restore resilience to overgrown, fire-prone forests. The hearing featured testimony from Chris French, Acting Associate Chief of the U.S. Forest Service. French discussed how the bill would streamline environmental review processes and provide federal agencies with improved authorities and technologies to address wildfire risks. Committee members questioned French on various provisions, including the use of categorical exclusions to expedite forest management projects, the implementation of Good Neighbor Authority and stewardship contracting, and funding mechanisms for the bill's initiatives. The bill has generated significant support and controversy. Supporters include electric utilities, fire chiefs, the Western Governors Association, environmental organizations like The Nature Conservancy and the National Wildlife Federation, and rural electric cooperatives. Key provisions include expediting environmental reviews for forest management projects, establishing a Wildfire Intelligence Center, supporting prescribed burning and cultural burning practices, and allowing utilities to remove hazardous trees more easily. Critics, including some environmental groups like the Sierra Club and Center for Biological Diversity, argue the bill could expand logging on federal lands and weaken environmental protections under the National Environmental Policy Act and Endangered Species Act. The hearing was the first step in the legislative process. Following the hearing, the Senate Agriculture Committee later voted 18-5 in October 2025 to advance the bill to the full Senate for consideration, though passage in the full chamber was not guaranteed at the time of the May hearing.
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Oct 21, 2025
Oct 21, 2025 · 13:15
The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held a business meeting on October 21, 2025, to consider a package of bills related to public lands management and forest policy. The bills under consideration included H.R. 4550 to reauthorize the United States Grain Standards Act, S. 1462 (Fix Our Forests Act) to improve forest management on National Forest System lands and Bureau of Land Management property, and multiple bills proposing wilderness designations and land conveyances across national forests in states including Virginia, Illinois, Arkansas, Mississippi, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The hearing was structured as a business meeting rather than a traditional hearing with witness testimony, meaning no formal witnesses presented testimony on the bills. This type of meeting typically allows committee members to discuss and potentially vote on advancing legislation without public testimony. The bills addressed several distinct policy areas within the committee's jurisdiction. Some focused on forest management and resilience, particularly S. 1462, which aims to address overgrown, fire-prone forested lands. Others proposed new wilderness designations, such as S. 1680 for additions to wilderness areas in Virginia's George Washington National Forest and S. 2548 for the Shawnee National Forest in Illinois. Additional bills dealt with specific land conveyances and boundary modifications for national forests and state forests across multiple states. As a business meeting to consider these bills, the session represented an early step in the legislative process. Committee consideration does not guarantee that any of these bills will advance further or be enacted into law. The committee would need to vote to approve the bills before they could move to the full Senate for consideration.
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Reported by Senator Boozman with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
Oct 27, 2025
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Reported by Senator Boozman with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
Oct 27, 2025
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 119-74.
May 6, 2025
May 6, 2025 · 19:00
The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held a legislative hearing on May 6, 2025, to examine S.1462, the Fix Our Forests Act. The bill, introduced by Senators John Curtis, John Hickenlooper, Alex Padilla, and Tim Sheehy, seeks to improve forest management activities on National Forest System lands, Bureau of Land Management lands, and tribal lands to restore resilience to overgrown, fire-prone forests. The hearing featured testimony from Chris French, Acting Associate Chief of the U.S. Forest Service. French discussed how the bill would streamline environmental review processes and provide federal agencies with improved authorities and technologies to address wildfire risks. Committee members questioned French on various provisions, including the use of categorical exclusions to expedite forest management projects, the implementation of Good Neighbor Authority and stewardship contracting, and funding mechanisms for the bill's initiatives. The bill has generated significant support and controversy. Supporters include electric utilities, fire chiefs, the Western Governors Association, environmental organizations like The Nature Conservancy and the National Wildlife Federation, and rural electric cooperatives. Key provisions include expediting environmental reviews for forest management projects, establishing a Wildfire Intelligence Center, supporting prescribed burning and cultural burning practices, and allowing utilities to remove hazardous trees more easily. Critics, including some environmental groups like the Sierra Club and Center for Biological Diversity, argue the bill could expand logging on federal lands and weaken environmental protections under the National Environmental Policy Act and Endangered Species Act. The hearing was the first step in the legislative process. Following the hearing, the Senate Agriculture Committee later voted 18-5 in October 2025 to advance the bill to the full Senate for consideration, though passage in the full chamber was not guaranteed at the time of the May hearing.
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Oct 21, 2025
Oct 21, 2025 · 13:15
The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held a business meeting on October 21, 2025, to consider a package of bills related to public lands management and forest policy. The bills under consideration included H.R. 4550 to reauthorize the United States Grain Standards Act, S. 1462 (Fix Our Forests Act) to improve forest management on National Forest System lands and Bureau of Land Management property, and multiple bills proposing wilderness designations and land conveyances across national forests in states including Virginia, Illinois, Arkansas, Mississippi, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The hearing was structured as a business meeting rather than a traditional hearing with witness testimony, meaning no formal witnesses presented testimony on the bills. This type of meeting typically allows committee members to discuss and potentially vote on advancing legislation without public testimony. The bills addressed several distinct policy areas within the committee's jurisdiction. Some focused on forest management and resilience, particularly S. 1462, which aims to address overgrown, fire-prone forested lands. Others proposed new wilderness designations, such as S. 1680 for additions to wilderness areas in Virginia's George Washington National Forest and S. 2548 for the Shawnee National Forest in Illinois. Additional bills dealt with specific land conveyances and boundary modifications for national forests and state forests across multiple states. As a business meeting to consider these bills, the session represented an early step in the legislative process. Committee consideration does not guarantee that any of these bills will advance further or be enacted into law. The committee would need to vote to approve the bills before they could move to the full Senate for consideration.
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Reported by Senator Boozman with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
Oct 27, 2025
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Reported by Senator Boozman with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
Oct 27, 2025
Congress
119th Congress
Introduced
Apr 10, 2025
No CBO cost estimate has been published for this bill.
