With time running short this year, NRECA and other utility groups are urging congressional leaders to advance the Fix Our Forests Act, a bill that would ease permitting of wildfire mitigation projects on public lands.
In an Oct. 13 letter, NRECA CEO Jim Matheson joined the heads of the Edison Electric Institute and American Public Power Association in asking House and Senate leaders to pass the bipartisan legislation before the current Congress ends.
“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 letter said. “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.”
The Fix Our Forests Act, which the House passed in early 2025, would expedite federal approval of projects to harden the grid against wildfires and remove vegetation that fuels blazes.
The bill would also allow co-ops to clear hazard trees and other vegetation within 150 feet of power lines on federally managed lands, a much wider clearance than currently permitted.
“These reforms will help strengthen grid reliability and protect customers from the growing impacts associated with catastrophic wildfires,” the letter stated. “More effective wildfire prevention and mitigation efforts can reduce damage to infrastructure, improve community resilience and minimize costs that ultimately affect customers.”
NRECA and its member co-ops have lobbied extensively to support the Fix Our Forests Act. In February, leaders from two electric co-ops testified at a House hearing on the need to speed federal approvals for hazard tree removal. They both urged lawmakers to pass the Fix Our Forests Act, which the Senate has yet to approve.
“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 trade groups said in the Oct. 13 letter. “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.”
A bipartisan group of 31 lawmakers recently urged House leaders to include the Fix Our Forests Act in the fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act or any other legislation coming up for consideration during the rest of this Congress.
The lawmakers, including Reps. Scott Peters, D-Calif., and Jeff Crank, R-Colo., wrote an Oct. 23 letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and the heads of the House Armed Services Committee on the major hazard that wildfires pose to military readiness and national security.
“The Fix Our Forests Act is the only package that is bipartisan, bicameral, and has undergone a comprehensive committee process in both chambers of Congress,” the letter said. “It represents thoughtful legislation that will meaningfully address the wildfire crisis.”
Molly Christian is a staff writer for NRECA.