The House passed bipartisan legislation Thursday that would make it easier for electric cooperatives to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires.
The Fix Our Forests Act, which still must be approved by the Senate, would expedite federal approvals to allow co-ops to harden their grids against wildfires and remove the hazardous vegetation that fuels blazes. The bill also aims to reduce the number of “frivolous” lawsuits that delay wildfire mitigation projects.
“It only takes a minute for a wildfire to start, but it can take years for the federal government to approve an electric cooperative’s request to repair one piece of equipment or remove a single tree that could spark another blaze,” said NRECA CEO Jim Matheson.
“The Fix Our Forests Act includes crucial improvements to grid hardening and wildfire mitigation procedures that will help co-ops better address wildfire hazards on utility rights of way and better protect the communities they serve.”
The legislation, which passed the House by a vote of 279-141, would greatly expand the ability of co-ops to remove “hazard trees” that are in danger of sparking fires by falling from federal property onto electric lines.
Currently, co-ops can only remove trees and other vegetation within 10 feet of their power lines and rights of way. The Fix Our Forests Act would allow co-ops to remove trees within 150 feet of their lines.
“House passage of the bill reminds us that wildfire mitigation is an area where bipartisan consensus can thrive,” said Hannah Hardin, a senior legislative affairs manager at NRECA.
“Preventing wildfires goes beyond policy—it’s a shared responsibility. We are grateful for the supports provided in this legislation to enhance grid resilience and community protection.”
The bill, introduced by House Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., and Rep. Scott Peters, D-Calif., would streamline the process for co-ops to obtain federal permits to modernize their systems to make them more resistant to wildfires.
“Wildfire mitigation is the best investment in the safety of our communities we’ll ever make,” said Mark Hayden, general manager of Missoula Electric Cooperative in Montana.
The legislation also would “deter frivolous litigation that delays essential projects,” Westerman and Peters said in a joint press release. The legislation prohibits courts from immediately halting a project unless they determine that the person suing to stop it “is likely to succeed on the merits” of the case if the lawsuit gets a full hearing.
“The destruction and devastation in LA is a reminder of the incalculable human toll of these fires,” Peters said. “While we can’t stop every fire, smart changes to policy will help prevent fires, limit their spread, and make them less destructive.”
Westerman said: “It’s time to take an all-hands-on-deck approach and use proven science to restore our forests to a healthy state and protect communities … from wildfires.”
The House passed an earlier version of the bill last September, but the Senate adjourned without taking it up. With a new Congress beginning its two-year session this month, there is more time for the Senate to act, Hardin said.
The bill passed by the House on Thursday includes a NRECA-backed amendment that merged the legislation with the Fire Safe Electrical Corridors Act—another bipartisan bill that eases regulatory hurdles that block vegetation management.
“Co-ops can better secure their rights of ways from catastrophic threats and protect both the forests and the families that rely on their service,” Hardin said.
Erin Kelly is a staff writer for NRECA.