Washington—— As congressional leaders debate whether to add conditions to federal aid responding to the Los Angeles County wildfires, both Republicans and Democrats have introduced a first wave of bills to address the disaster.
The measures come as President Joe Biden pledges 100% federal support for disaster relief over the next six months, even as President-elect Donald Trump takes office in less than a week and the future of the funding is not yet fully determined.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said that while he intends to help Californians in need after the fires, he is discussing with Republican colleagues whether to tie the aid into the deep political debate over raising the debt ceiling Get in touch. House Democrats, including several Southern Californians, said they would not accept a conditional disaster aid deal.
The measures announced so far by Congress are among the first of many and address topics such as forest management, disaster funding and the powers of the California Coastal Commission.
Here are some bills:
The Restoring Our Forests Act is a comprehensive measure that will simplify environmental regulations, speed up forest management, prevent “frivolous” lawsuits from environmental groups, and prioritize community prevention efforts.
“Decades of mismanagement and climate change have created unnatural conditions,” said Rep. Scott Peters (D-San Diego), an environmental lawyer and co-author of the bill, adding that the Forest Service Required environmental reviews can delay projects, sometimes for years. "We're wasting a lot of time on processes that we don't have - we don't have time to do that. Meanwhile, the forest is burning."
The bill, introduced Thursday with bipartisan support, may be the furthest along of any early legislation.
Matt Weiner, CEO and founder of Megafire Action, the advocacy group pushing the bill, said its supporters hope the Repair Our Forests Act will revolutionize the national conversation about forestry and fire.
"We're always overwhelmed. And then our solution is to look back at the systems that keep failing us," Weiner said. "When I think it's clear that these systems are failing us, we need to create new ones."
The bill proposes creating a center to help federal, tribal, state and local agencies coordinate fire prevention and track areas where wildfires are more likely to occur. The legislation empowers leaders to use new scientific methods to assess those wildfire-prone areas and employ a variety of forest management tools, including tree thinning, prescribed burning, timber harvest, fire prevention and dead brush removal.
“What we’re trying to do is use proven science and common sense to reduce fuel loads and make communities safer,” said Rep. Bruce Westerman, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee and a Lin waiter. “I always say that forestry management is like the old adage: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
The bill refreshes a measure that passed the House last year and has the support of nearly all Republicans and 55 Democrats, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and the chair of the House Democratic Caucus Big names in California like Pete Aguilar (D-San Francisco). Redlands). The Senate did not vote on the bill.
Although the bill received bipartisan support last year, it drew the ire of several environmental groups, who said it would undermine key environmental laws and potentially devastate forests, endangered species and community oversight of federal land management. Sexual influence.
"Our organization recognizes the challenges of combating the threats posed by climate change, including increased fire risk. Unfortunately, much of this bill will harm forests, communities, climate, water and biodiversity," reads a letter signed by more than 85 groups, including the Center for Biological Diversity and the Sierra Club.
The Restoring Our Forests Act has served as a political lightning rod for both parties. Overhauling “forest management,” especially in California, is a rallying cry often raised by Trump and his allies. Meanwhile, progressives have long called for a return to the ancient practice of preventive burns prescribed by First Nations, and the proposed bill would codify cultural burns.
“Everyone is saying the same thing, they just might say it differently,” Westerman said.
Peters and Westerman hope the national attention on the Los Angeles-area fires will help their bill gain enough support this time around. Although the Palisade and Eaton fires were concentrated in densely populated areas rather than forests, Weiner said the bill could prevent such disasters from happening in the future.
Pacific Palisade, for example, is considered a "very high fire danger severity area," said Weiner, who said the area will be prioritized for funding and preparation efforts under the Restoring Our Forests Act.
“The ecosystem around Los Angeles is different than the big timber forests of Northern California or Canada, but the principles of handling and reducing fuel loads are the same,” said Rep. George Whitesides (D-Agua Dulce), who chaired the project co-sponsor. Co-founder of The Act and Megafire Action.
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Bonsall) on Wednesday introduced legislation called "Direct Hire Fire Fighting" to streamline the hiring of federal firefighters, citing the Los Angeles County fires as the impetus for the measure.
"Today's unacceptably slow hiring process means critical positions to fight fires go unfilled, causing fires to burn longer," Issa said in a statement. "We need this common sense federal Recruitment process that brings all available resources to where they are needed most.”
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin) introduced a measure Tuesday to increase funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The Preventing the Next Natural Disaster Act calls for changes to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) approach to disaster preparedness, increasing funding and prioritizing applicants in the hardest-hit communities. It also requires a central database to consolidate information collected from all levels of government during disaster relief.
"From coastal flooding to catastrophic wildfires, California is one of the states experiencing an increasing number of natural disasters due to climate change," Swalwell said in a statement. "This bill will provide relief to the most vulnerable to natural disasters." communities to help them better respond to these growing threats.”
Rep. Kevin Keeley (R-Rocklin) said Tuesday that he plans to introduce legislation to rein in the California Coastal Commission. Keeley tied his legislation to a recent decision by regulators to deny Elon Musk's company SpaceX permission to increase rocket launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Musk's company had asked to increase the number of rocket launches from 36 to 50 per year, but the committee rejected the request. The board cited the political clout of Musk — a close ally of Trump and owner of the social media site X — as part of its reasoning.
Kelly said the committee's decision showed "the politicization of state agency decisions can delay projects critical to national security."
"Its history of irrational decision-making could threaten the Los Angeles region's redevelopment efforts," Kelly said in a statement. "My legislation will ensure critical projects are not hampered by unnecessary red tape or political bias."
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Sunday to lift certain environmental requirements to speed up the rebuilding process in areas affected by wildfires.