December 1, 2023 10:00 a.m. 

On Thursday, Oregon 4th district Representative Val Hoyle and Representative Joe Neguse of Colorado, introduced the Wildfire Resilient Communities Act to invest in combatting catastrophic wildfire through forest health and community risk reduction projects.

A release from Hoyle said the House bill is the companion to Senator Jeff Merkley’s Wildfire Resilient Communities Act, of which Senator Ron Wyden is a cosponsor.

Hoyle said, “I am proud to introduce the Wildfire Resilient Communities Act, a comprehensive bill that would provide dedicated federal funding to protect our communities from catastrophic wildfires”. Hoyle said, “Congress has been nickel-and-diming wildfire prevention but will write a huge check once a fire is out of control. That is not working for our forests, communities or taxpayers. We must invest more dollars up front”.

The release said the Wildfire Resilient Communities Act would be a significant step towards safeguarding communities, supporting rural areas and mitigating the risks of catastrophic wildfires. The legislation would:

*Provide $30 billion for hazardous fuels reduction, ensuring stable funding for land management agencies to expand wildfire risk reduction projects

*Triple funding for the Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program up to $3 billion to help communities develop and execute community wildfire risk reduction plans

*Permanently reauthorize the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program, promoting collaborative and science-based restoration of forest priority landscapes

*Establish a County Stewardship Fund, providing counties with 25 percent of stewardship contract receipts from federal land to support vital community services