Jimmy Panetta
09/23/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/23/2024 11:08
Rep. Panetta Praises Early Success of His REPLANT Act to Help Restore National Forests
Monterey, CA - United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) praised the progress being made to help reforestation efforts in our National Forests due to his REPLANT Act. Rep. Panetta authored the bipartisan and bicameral bill and ensured that it was included in the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that passed in the 117th Congress and was signed into law by President Joe Biden. The REPLANT Act mandates federal investment in the Reforestation Trust Fund that helps reduce the backlog of projects to plant more trees in burn-scarred areas. Since the REPLANT Act became law, the U.S. Forest Service has reforested 360,000 acres.
National Forests account for 193 million acres of land across the United States. These forests store 25% of the nation's carbon, filter drinking water for 60 million Americans, are home to 3,000 species, host 159 million visitors annually, and contribute $13.7 billion to local economies. In 2021, the U.S. Forest Service had a reforestation backlog of 3.6 million acres, largely due to destructive wildfires and other hazards.
The REPLANT Act increased investments in reforestation projects on national forests and removed the previous $30 million annual cap in the Reforestation Trust Fund, making an average of $123 million available for reforestation each year.
"As stewards of our environment, it was long past time that we stopped talking about replanting our treasured National Forests and started taking action," said Rep. Panetta. "I am not only proud to have authored the bipartisan REPLANT Act and have it signed into law, but I'm also very pleased to see that the landmark investments are having a significant impact in replanting and revitalizing our forests. We have more work to do when it comes to managing and protecting our environment, but the early results of the REPLANT Act should give us hope that the United States Congress can properly promote and perpetuate our National Forests."
The goal of the REPLANT Act is to help reforest 4.1 million acres by planting 1.2 billion trees over the next 10 years. This level of reforestation is expected to sequester 758 million metric tons of carbon over the trees' lifetimes, the equivalent of 85.3 billion gallons of gasoline, improve soil health and wildlife habitats, and create nearly 49,000 jobs over the next 10 years. Rep. Panetta led the REPLANT Act with Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and then Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) as well as Representative Mike Simpson (ID-02).
In addition to the REPLANT Act's investments, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes key measures for climate and community resiliency, such as $3.37 billion for wildfire risk reduction, $27.65 billion to modernize energy grids, $7.7 billion to strengthen clean energy supply chains, and $55 billion to improve water infrastructure.
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