Alex Padilla U.S. Senator for California

One of the most significant steps forward in federal wildfire policy in recent decades streamlines processes to protect communities while restoring forest health

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), John Curtis (R-Utah), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) applauded the advancement of the Senate version of the Fix Our Forests Act through the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, setting the pivotal fire and forestry legislation up for a vote by the full Senate. The bipartisan legislation would help combat catastrophic wildfires, restore forest ecosystems, and make federal forest management more efficient. 

The comprehensive Senate bill reflects months of bipartisan Senate negotiations to find consensus on how to holistically respond to the wildfire crisis, best improve forest management practices, accelerate efforts to protect communities, advance watershed restoration, and strengthen partnerships between federal agencies, states, Tribes, and private stakeholders. The Senate version of the bill would also bolster coordination efforts across federal agencies through a new Wildfire Intelligence Center, which would streamline the federal response and create a whole-of-government approach to combating wildfires.

A one-pager on the Senate Fix Our Forests Act is available here. A list of provisions particularly impactful for California is available here.

“The status quo around wildfires isn’t working and far too many Americans have paid the price,” said Senator Padilla. “The families I’ve met who have lost everything to the devastation in Los Angeles and in wildfire disasters across the country deserve action. That’s why we’re coming together to confront this crisis and rethink how we prevent and respond. Today’s advancement of our bipartisan bill is real progress toward protecting Americans and our environment through forward-thinking, practical wildfire solutions.”

“In Utah and across the West, we face a growing crisis of overgrown, unhealthy forests. Thanks to the cooperation of both parties, we are confronting the challenge head on and now one step closer to passing legislation that will deliver essential tools to combat wildfires, restore forest ecosystems, and make federal forest management more efficient and responsive. I commend the Committee’s action and look forward to the bill’s swift passage by the full Senate,” said Senator Curtis.

“There is a wildfire crisis across much of the country – our communities need action now,” said Senator Hickenlooper. “Wildfires won’t wait. After bipartisan committee passage, the next step is a full Senate vote. The Fix Our Forests Act will make our communities and environment more resilient.”

“Better stewardship of our forests is not a partisan issue; it’s an imperative to securing a stronger economy, healthier forests, and safer communities. I’m proud to see the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act move forward in the legislative process, and I’ll continue fighting alongside my colleagues to enact commonsense reforms that ensure proper forest management, unleash the resource economy, and protect American communities from the threat of wildfire,” said Senator Sheehy.

The American West has long been prone to wildfires, but prolonged drought and the buildup of dry fuels have increasingly intensified these fires and extended fire seasons. Wildfires today are more catastrophic — growing larger, spreading faster, and burning more land than ever before. Nationwide, total acres burned rose from 2.7 million in 2023 to nearly 9 million in 2024, a 231 percent increase.

California averages more than 7,500 wildfires a year. Not including the Los Angeles fires at the start of this year, six of the top 10 most destructive fires, three of the top five deadliest fires, and all of the state’s nine largest fires have burned since 2017. The status quo is unsustainable, and responding to the scale and magnitude of the crisis on the ground is essential to keeping California communities safe.

Additionally, wildfires release carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions that accelerate climate change. California’s 2020 fire season, the worst on record, emitted enough greenhouse gases to erase nearly two decades of progress on emissions reductions in California. Addressing this wildfire emergency is critical to ensuring that our climate progress is not undermined by the devastating impacts of these fires.

To address these challenges, the Fix Our Forests Act would:

• Establish new and updated programs to reduce wildfire risks across large, high-priority “firesheds,” with an emphasis on cross-jurisdictional collaboration.

• Streamline and expand tools for forest health projects (e.g., stewardship contracting, Good Neighbor Agreements) and provide faster processes for certain hazardous fuels treatments.

• Create a single interagency program to help communities in the wildland-urban interface build and retrofit with wildfire-resistant measures, while simplifying and consolidating grant applications.

• Expand research and demonstration initiatives — including biochar projects and the Community Wildfire Defense Research Program — to test and deploy cutting-edge wildfire prevention, detection, and mitigation technologies.

• Strengthen coordination efforts across agencies through a new Wildfire Intelligence Center which would streamline the federal response and create a whole-of-government approach to combating wildfires.

• Improve reforestation, seedling supply, and nursery capacity; establish new programs for white oak restoration; and clarify policies to reduce wildfire-related litigation and expedite forest health treatments.

Supporters of the Senate version of the Fix Our Forests Act include California Governor Gavin Newsom; Utah Governor Spencer Cox; Colorado Governor Jared Polis; Montana Governor Greg Gianforte; Western Governors’ Association; California Natural Resources Agency; California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection; California State Association of Counties; Rural County Representatives of California; California Fire Chiefs Association; California Fire Service Leadership Alliance; County of Los Angeles; The Nature Conservancy; National Wildlife Federation; Environmental Defense Fund; National Audubon Society; Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership; California Farm Bureau; Federation of American Scientists; Citizens’ Climate Lobby; The Stewardship Project; Megafire Action; Climate and Wildfire Institute; International Association of Fire Chiefs; Alliance for Wildfire Resilience; Wildfire Alliance; American Forests; Tall Timbers; National Water Resources Association; National Association of State Departments of Agriculture; National Association of State Foresters; American Property Casualty Insurance Association; U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation; Hispanics Enjoy Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors; Utah Department of Natural Resources; Colorado Department of Natural Resources; Colorado State Forest Service; Colorado State Fire Chiefs Wildland Section; Colorado Water Congress; Rocky Mountain Elk; and Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control.

The Western Governors’ Association wrote to Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry leadership yesterday to express their strong support for the continued advancement of the Senate version of the Fix Our Forests Act:

“Western Governors are encouraged by the development of bipartisan legislation to improve forest management and mitigate wildfire risk. As the wildfire crisis has worsened in recent years, Western Governors have developed and advocated for a range of policy recommendations to promote healthy western forests that can continue to provide our communities with jobs, recreation, quality of life, and important ecosystem services. S. 1462, the Fix Our Forests Act, advances many of our recommendations, and we are eager to continue to work with the Committee to support critical forest management reforms through the legislative process.”

Additional letters of support from elected officials, environmental groups, first responders, and wildfire organizations are available here.

A full list of national supporters can be found here, and a list of California supporters is available here.

Earlier this year, Senators Padilla, Curtis, Hickenlooper, and Sheehy praised the continued progress of their Senate version of the Fix Our Forests Act, as it received a legislative hearing in the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. The Senators have also announced growing support from state and local government officials, community leaders, and industry stakeholders for the Senate version of the Fix Our Forests Act. In April, Padilla highlighted the Senate Fix Our Forests Act after joining federal and state emergency officials for a tour of the Pacific Palisades fire recovery area led by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

In the aftermath of the catastrophic Southern California fires, Senator Padilla has introduced more than a dozen bills to help prevent and respond to future wildfires. Last month, Padilla and Sheehy announced the bipartisan Forest Legacy Management Flexibility Act to help permanently conserve forestlands and mitigate increasing wildfire risks. Padilla and Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) also introduced the FEMA Independence Act, bipartisan legislation to restore FEMA as an independent, cabinet-level agency and improve efficiency in federal emergency response efforts.

More information on today’s business meeting is available here.

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