Senators Mark Kelly and Mitt Romney introduced the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission Act of 2021. According to Kelly’s press release, the bipartisan and bicameral legislation will “establish a commission of federal and non-federal stakeholders—including city and county level representation—to study and recommend fire prevention, mitigation, management, and rehabilitation policies for forests and grasslands.”
More land has burned across Arizona so far to date, reported the Associated Press, with over 250,000 acres burned in Arizona this year. Two national forests in northern Arizona closed completely to visitors starting Wednesday because of concerns they won’t have enough resources to respond to any future wildfires. Gov. Doug Ducey called for a special legislative session to address the issue and to boost funding for firefighting and recovery efforts.
Kelly and other leaders are calling for a reorganization and review of the policies for wildfire management. Currently, federal wildland fire policy is decided by legislation and agency guidance across departments and jurisdictions. This policy can be further complicated by mixed land ownership. The bill would require a review of the nation’s wildland firefighting strategy, accompanied by specific policy recommendations.
Kelly visited the Incident Command Posts (ICPs) of the Telegraph and Mescal Fires, where he was briefed by the Southwest Area Type 1 Incident Management Team members. After his visits, Kelly wrote a letter to President Joe Biden, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. He urged them to take action to deploy response teams to the fires, conduct damage assessments, and deploy post-fire recovery and flood mitigation projects for impacted lands and communities, including the San Carlos Apache Tribe.
“Right now, we are witnessing one of the worst early starts to a fire season that Arizona has ever seen,” commented Senator Kelly. “Every year, we see these fires grow larger and more threatening, putting communities, first responders, and small businesses in harm’s way. We cannot expect outcomes to change unless we try a new approach. In order to protect Arizonans and their property, I am introducing this bipartisan legislation with Senator Romney to bring together experts from local communities and the private and public sectors to figure out how we can get better at wildfire prevention, mitigation, and response.”
“With nearly 400 wildfires burning more than 40,000 acres of land, Utah’s 2021 fire season has already surpassed the five-year average for this time of year,” Senator Romney said. “As the American West continues to get drier and fires become more destructive, it doesn’t make sense to continue to adhere to the fire policies of the past. Our legislation lays out a comprehensive strategy which would bring together officials from all levels of government – including county and city representation – and outside experts to improve strategies to prevent future wildfires from becoming catastrophic disasters in Utah and across the West.”
Kelly commented on Twitter, “We can’t expect outcomes to change with the same approach, so I’m introducing bipartisan legislation with @SenatorRomney to bring together experts to find new, science-based solutions for wildfire prevention, mitigation, and response.”
We can't expect outcomes to change with the same approach, so I'm introducing bipartisan legislation with @SenatorRomney to bring together experts to find new, science-based solutions for wildfire prevention, mitigation, and response. https://t.co/18rEEncXpF
— Senator Mark Kelly (@SenMarkKelly) June 21, 2021
Senator Romney commented on Twitter, “The American West is facing a historic level of wildfires. My bill with @SenMarkKelly & @RepJohnCurtis would bring together officials from all levels of gov. & experts to improve strategies to prevent future wildfires from becoming catastrophic disasters.”
The American West is facing a historic level of wildfires. My bill with @SenMarkKelly & @RepJohnCurtis would bring together officials from all levels of gov. & experts to improve strategies to prevent future wildfires from becoming catastrophic disasters. https://t.co/tsL8G2r6BQ
— Senator Mitt Romney (@SenatorRomney) June 21, 2021
