More than 90 U.S. representatives who make up the Congressional Western Caucus, unanimously endorsed legislation that helps ensure public safety and improves wildlife habitat and overall forest health.
The U.S. House and U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry already passed the Fix Our Forests Act (FOFA) by strong bipartisan margins but the full Senate is yet to introduce it. Now, members of the Congressional Western Caucus are speaking out to try to make that happen.
What Congressional Western Caucus members are saying about FOFA:
“Across America, our forests are burning while the clock is ticking. Every season of delay means more devastation, more communities at risk, and more land lost. Fix Our Forests is a solution with broad support. We can’t wait while the forests burn,” said Chair Celeste Maloy (R-UT).
“Healthy forests require active stewardship, and that stewardship means we must find effective ways to strengthen wildfire prevention. The Fix Our Forests Act delivers the practical reforms needed to reduce wildfire risk and improve active forest management through timely restoration projects and proactive mitigation efforts. I am proud to support this legislation and the Western Caucus’ commitment to advancing practical wildfire solutions,” said Executive Vice Chair Nick Begich (R-AL).
“The West is on fire, and Congress must act now. The Congressional Western Caucus’s endorsement of the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act sends a clear and decisive message: send this bill to the President’s desk. I commend Western Caucus Chair Maloy for her leadership on this issue,” said House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR).
”As we experience a catastrophic fire season and an overall trend of mill closures across the country, rural communities nationwide need bipartisan, common-sense legislation to mitigate the crisis in our forests. The Fix Our Forests Act provides us with the opportunity to prioritize high-risk fire sheds, streamline environmental review and permitting, and expand stewardship contracting and Good Neighbor Authority,” said House Agriculture Chairman Glenn Thompson (R-PA).
FOFA is a set of reforms that simplify and expedite environmental reviews for forest management projects, promotes collaboration in forest management like Good Neighbor Authority, deters frivolous litigation that delays essential projects including to reverse the 9th Circuit Court’s Cottonwood decision and encourages adopting state-of-the-art science and techniques for federal land managers.
From January 1 to July 21, 2026, there have been 41,000 wildfires that burned more than 3.9 million acres of forests, grasslands and wildlife habitats, including hundreds of homes and other structures. By comparison, there were nearly 39,000 wildfires in 2025 that burned 2.8 million acres.
Hunt 2 Conserve urges the Senate to introduce and pass the Fix Our Forests Act.
About Hunt 2 Conserve
Hunt 2 Conserve is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Its mission is to advance a legacy of hunting and conservation by educating, activating and developing stewards and defenders of these fundamentally American ideals. For more information, go to hunt2conserve.org.
