Legislative Action is Essential During the Lame Duck Session to Address Wildfire Risk

WASHINGTON - The American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA) and a broad range of partners and stakeholders sent a letter to House and Senate Leadership urging action on legislative solutions that are aligned with the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission policy recommendations. APCIA president and CEO David A. Sampson issued the following statement:

"Wildfires are more prevalent now than ever. Both the House and Senate have taken initial steps on legislation to address this escalating threat; however, additional action is essential during this lame duck session of Congress to send bipartisan legislative proposals to the President's desk to sign into law. APCIA urges Congress to act now."

APCIA has worked to advance legislation based on or aligned with the Commission's recommendations to Congress, including the House-passed Fix Our Forests Act, H.R. 8790, introduced by House Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR) and Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA), which seeks to increase the pace and scale of forest management, and establishes a Community Wildfire Risk Reduction Program to better coordinate federal agencies and wildfire risk reduction actions in the built environment. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair Joe Manchin (I-WV) and Ranking Member John Barrasso (R-WY) have been working on a bipartisan package of forest management bills that could also be passed in the lame duck.

The House has also passed the Fire Weather Development Act, H.R. 4866, introduced by Rep. Mike Garcia (R-CA) and Rep. Yadira Caraveo (D-CO), to develop accurate fire weather and fire environment forecasts to improve the prediction of wildfires. In a similar vein, the Fire Ready Nation Act, S. 4343, by Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-TX), would establish a fire weather services program within NOAA to improve wildfire risk communications and forecasts. ¿