Congress is working on a bill that would change the way the government tries to combat forest fires. But in some of the states hit hardest by wildfires, Democrats are split on whether to support it.
The Fix Our Forests Act, which passed the House last month, is intended to update wildfire prevention measures in federal lands while easing environmental protections. Among other proposals, it would streamline the process of cleaning dead trees and other fire-prone vegetation in federal lands — a favorite talking point of President Donald Trump’s.
In the House, 64 Democrats voted in favor of the bill and 141 of them opposed it. Of those who voted, California’s Democratic House members were split 24 in favor and 15 against.
The Senate is shaping up to be similarly divided.
“With some changes to the House version, there’s a lot of good that can be done with overwhelming bipartisan support,” Sen. Alex Padilla said.
Fellow California Sen. Adam Schiff voted against a prior version of the bill in 2024 as a House member. He didn’t say whether he’d support it this time: “I would need to look at it again,” he told NOTUS.
Proponents of the Fix Our Forests Act say it will allow authorities to better adapt to the worsening wildfires caused by climate change. It would create additional resources to track wildfires and gather data about on-the-ground conditions.
But the bill includes measures that Senate Democrats disagree with. It would create waivers for the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires federal agencies to study environmental impacts before carrying out actions on federal land. The bill would also reform environmental litigation procedures by making it more difficult to submit environmental lawsuits.
“I think the overwhelming sentiment is that it is drafted nefariously,” a Democratic Senate aide said about this section of the law, requesting anonymity to speak candidly about internal negotiations. While some Democrats agree with limiting the time frame to submit environmental-related lawsuits, this aide told NOTUS that “all of the other provisions in the litigation section specifically are extremely problematic.”
The bill, according to the Democratic aide, would allow the administration to work on projects that courts have ruled against.
The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry will hold hearings about this bill “in the next couple weeks,” Sen. Michael Bennet told NOTUS.
While Bennet opposes the bill, his fellow Colorado Democrat, Sen. John Hickenlooper, supports it — although he wants amendments to win over fellow Democrats. Hickenlooper told NOTUS that finding compromise so it passes this Congress “is definitely something that’s worth pursuing.”
“We’re trying to find ways to make sure the public sentiment can be expressed and heard, but that we also do what needs to be done in some of these forests, the dangers of fire and other problems that are immediate,” Hickenlooper said.
Democratic aides promoting bill negotiations told NOTUS they are concerned that reservations among Senate Democrats might lead to an extensive amendment process that might further delay needed forest-management reforms.
If Trump gets involved, it could further complicate matters.
The president and GOP representatives have repeatedly said forest management should be a condition for releasing disaster aid to California. While Democrats are open to negotiations, framing the passage of this bill as a condition for federal aid might be a deal-breaker.
A top Democratic advocate for the bill in the House said that wildfire prevention measures are more urgent than ever and urged quick action.
“Communities in the path of the next megafire do not have the luxury of time,” Rep. Scott Peters told NOTUS in a statement. “Congress needs to take bold, bipartisan action to safeguard communities, ecosystems and property.”
This story was produced as part of a partnership between NOTUS — a publication from the nonprofit, nonpartisan Allbritton Journalism Institute — and NEWSWELL, home of Times of San Diego, Santa Barbara News-Press and Stocktonia.
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