Senators eye national standard for wildfire response on federal lands

How access to grazing cuts risk of wildfires

BISMARCK, ND (KXNET) — At a recent Senate Ag Committee hearing, North Dakota Senator John Hoeven spoke about the importance of allowing access to grazing, to help cut down on the risk of wildfires on federal lands. This is spurred from the wildfires that ravaged small communities right here in North Dakota, last October. The Fix Our Forests Act, being worked on by the committee, is being touted as something that can improve wildfire mitigation, …

Bipartisan WRAP Act seeks to improve wildfire response on federal lands

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tim Sheehy of Montana and Andy Kim of New Jersey have introduced the Wildfire Response and Preparedness (WRAP) Act. This bipartisan bill aims to establish a 30-minute national standard response time for wildfires on federal…

Senators eye national standard for wildfire response on federal lands

Bipartisan legislation introduced by first-term Sens. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) and Andy Kim (D-N.J.) would establish a nationwide response time standard for wildfires affecting public lands. Under the bill, the Wildfire Response and Preparedness Act, all wildfires on Interior Department- or Agriculture Department-administered lands would be subject to a half-hour response standard. In a statement, Sheehy…

Freshman senators introduce bipartisan legislation to hasten wildfire response

Sens. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., and Andy Kim, D-N

Wildfire mitigation bill described as good first step to deal with climate change in Montana

When Rep. Denise Baum, D-Billings, first heard about a bill to call on utilities to submit wildfire mitigation plans, she said she was a solid no. But this week, Baum was among 98 representatives who voted in favor of House…

Wildfire mitigation bill described as step to deal with climate change

The Horse Gulch Fire near Canyon Ferry Reservoir on the evening of July 9, 2024. ((Photo courtesy InciWeb)When Rep. Denise Baum, D-Billings, first heard about a bill to call on utilities to submit wildfire mitigation plans, she said she was a solid no. But this week, Baum was among 98 representatives who voted in favor of House Bill 490, and she said it was thanks to the work of the sponsor, Rep. Amy Regier, R-Kalispell. The bill, initially cont…