The American Public Power Association, the Edison Electric Institute, and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association recently sent a letter to House and Senate leaders urging the passage of the Fix Our Forests Act (FOFA) (S. 1462/H.R. 471).
“Electric utilities across America are investing billions of dollars in wildfire mitigation programs, grid hardening, vegetation management, and advanced monitoring technologies to better protect the communities they serve,” the Oct. 13 letter noted.
“However, federal permitting policies often delay or even outright prevent that foundational wildfire mitigation work on public lands, which jeopardizes communities, public safety, and electric reliability,” APPA, EEI and NRECA said.
Successfully addressing these challenges requires partnership among electric utilities, federal agencies, states, and local communities, the letter said.
“The Fix Our Forests Act would provide common-sense tools to help reduce wildfire risk before catastrophic fires occur. The legislation would help accelerate forest management activities, improve hazardous fuels reduction efforts, strengthen wildfire preparedness and response capabilities, support innovative wildfire technologies, and improve coordination among the many entities responsible for managing wildfire risk.”
It also includes “important provisions to improve vegetation management around electric transmission infrastructure, helping electric utilities more effectively maintain rights-of-way on federal lands,” the groups pointed out.
These reforms will help strengthen grid reliability and protect customers from the growing impacts associated with catastrophic wildfires, they said.
“More effective wildfire prevention and mitigation efforts can reduce damage to infrastructure, improve community resilience, and minimize costs that ultimately affect customers. As demand for electricity continues to grow, it is critical that electric utilities and federal agencies have the tools necessary to proactively address wildfire risks and maintain reliable, affordable service,” the letter said.
The Fix Our Forests Act “represents a bipartisan opportunity to reduce wildfire risk, strengthen energy infrastructure, and better protect communities nationwide. We urge Congress to take meaningful action that will help communities better prepare for and withstand wildfire risk by passing the Fix Our Forests Act,” the groups said.
“Advancing this legislation will also provide greater certainty for electric utilities and their federal partners as they plan and invest in long-term wildfire mitigation and resilience efforts. We stand ready to work with you to advance these shared goals,” the letter said.
The letter was signed by Scott Corwin, President and CEO of APPA, Jim Matheson, CEO of NRECA, and Drew Maloney, President and CEO of EEI.
The House approved its version of FOFA in January 2025. The Senate Agriculture Committee passed its version of the bill in October 2025, but it has yet to get a vote on the Senate floor.
