Chairwoman Johnson and Congresswoman Lofgren Applaud House Passage of Wildfire and Drought Package

(Washington, DC) – Today the House passed H.R. 5118, the Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act, which includes provisions to address the effects of extreme drought and wildfire conditions that are being exacerbated by a warming climate. This comprehensive package of 49 bills includes language from Science Committee bills including H.R. 6012 the Wildfire Grid Resiliency Act, H.R. 8449 the Fire Ready Nation Act, H.R. 5781 the Wildland Fire Risk Reduction Program Act, and H.R. 7077 the Empowering the U.S. Fire Administration Act.

 

“The passage of the Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act is a major step in addressing the wildfire and drought crises that many communities are facing today,” said Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX). “Climate change is making drought and wildfire conditions worse. This is putting immense burden on communities across our nation, but especially in the West. This package of bills includes Congresswoman Lofgren’s 'National Wildland Fire Risk Reduction Program Act,' that we advanced through the Science Committee. This provision would create a collaborative effort across Federal agencies to advance research and development efforts to mitigate risks before, during, and after wildfires. With longer and more destructive wildfire seasons, we must take steps to build resiliency immediately. Democrats in the House are committed to protecting the American people and tackling these threats. The Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act would make significant progress in combating these challenges by using every tool at our disposal. Given the urgency of wildfire and drought risks, I applaud the House’s commitment to addressing these growing threats, and encourage the Senate to quickly act and move this legislation forward.”

 

“Increasingly dangerous wildfires threaten the health and safety of communities across the West. In addition to other provisions to support our brave federal firefighters and improve FEMA’s response to wildfires, I’m proud that the legislation supports crucial scientific research on wildfires,” said Rep. Lofgren (D-CA). “The National Wildland Fire Risk Reduction Program Act, which was included in the package, will fully utilize all of the federal government’s scientific resources to improve our ability to anticipate, detect, monitor, and contain fires. This will save lives and property across the country. I thank Chairwoman Johnson and my colleagues on the Science Committee for their commitment to addressing the growing threat of wildfires and I look forward to continuing to work with them to make our communities safer and more resilient.”