Press Releases

Today, Western Caucus Chairman Dan Newhouse (WA-04) and House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (AR-04) released statements on the passage of H.R. 8790, the Fix Our Forests Act. The legislation passed by a bipartisan vote of 268-151.
 
“Active forest management is desperately needed in order to achieve healthy forests and reduce wildfire risk,” said Chairman Newhouse. “The Fix Our Forests Act will restore forest health and resiliency by enabling proactive forest management through reducing senseless lawsuits, expediting permitting, and increasing the scale and pace of forest restoration projects. As devastating wildfires continue to burn hotter and faster, it is imperative to prioritize the management of forests facing heightened risk of destruction. I want to congratulate Chairman Westerman on passage of this important legislation that will better our forests and communities across the west.”

“America’s forests are on life support after decades of mismanagement," said Chairman Westerman. "The clock on these ticking time bombs is down to the final few seconds, and Congress must move swiftly to save our forests from imminent destruction. Today, the House took decisive action on the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act, which will empower local land managers and agencies with tools to enact the most vital forest management projects. The time to fix our forests is now.”