SAF Supports Bipartisan Wildfire and Forest Management Bill
September 24, 2020
Ahead of a hearing at the US Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, SAF expressed its support for the bipartisan “Emergency Wildfire and Public Safety Act of 2020" introduced by Senators Diane Feinstein (D-CA) and Steve Daines (R-MT).
SAF joined partner organizations and allies from across the forestry and natural resources community to applaud these efforts and urge swift passage of solutions like these designed to address wildfire mitigation and forest management reform.
“Foresters and natural resource managers can and will use every tool at their disposal to proactively address fire-prone landscapes. In doing so, they provide fire managers more options to address new fires and maintain their safety. SAF is proud to support this crucial piece of legislation, which also invests in workforce development, accelerates post-fire restoration efforts, and creates new markets for biomass. These measures will help make our forests more resilient, give our wildland firefighters more suppression options, create safer communities, and develop new generations of forest stewards.” - Terry Baker, CEO, Society of American Foresters
Click here to read the full press release from Senator Daines.
The legislation would:
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Allow disaster mitigation and preparedness funding to be used to reduce the wildfire risk posed by utility lines and expedite permitting for the installation of wildfire detection equipment (such as sensors, cameras, and other relevant equipment) and expand the use of satellite data to assist wildfire response.
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Establish a new grant program to assist critical facilities like hospitals and police stations become more energy efficient and better adapted to function during power shutoffs. The new program would also provide funding for the expanded use of distributed energy infrastructure, including microgrids.
Learn more in this Section-by-Section from Senator Daines.