Senator Tim Sheehy (R-MT), joined by fourteen of his Republican colleagues, on July 30 sent a letter to the secretaries of the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Interior urging action to reduce wildfire risk.
The letter encourages the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to use existing authorities under section 512 of the Federal Land Policy Management Act (FLPMA) to improve right-of-way maintenance for electric infrastructure on public lands and forests.
“Addressing the threats posed by wildfires must be an all-hands-on-deck effort. Congress is working on legislation to support the effort, utilities are doing their part to mitigate the risk, and now we urge the Administration to take swift and commonsense actions to help strengthen wildfire preparedness and protect communities,” the letter said.
APPA joined with the Edison Electric Institute and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association to promote the letter and encouraged senators to sign on.
The Senators noted that the three trade associations have developed lists of actionable priorities that the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management could undertake pursuant to their authority under FLPMA. Those priorities were attached to the letter.
“Implementing these actions would greatly improve utilities’ ability to reduce wildfire risk in and around their rights-of-way across public lands and forests,” the letter said.
The following senators signed the letter:
• Tim Sheehy (R-MT)
• Steve Daines (R-MT)
• John Curtis (R-UT)
• Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
• Jim Risch (R-ID)
• John Boozman (R-AR)
• John Hoeven (R-ND)
• Jerry Moran (R-KS)
• John Barrasso (R-WY)
• Cynthia Lummis (R-WY)
• James Lankford (R-OK)
• Dan Sullivan (R-AK)
• Pete Ricketts (R-NE)
• Mike Crapo (R-ID)
• Tom Cotton (R-AR)
