On September 24, 2024, the House of Representatives passed one of the most problematic and contentious pieces of public lands legislation in decades: the “Fix Our Forests Act”. We are proud of our advocates in the community who submitted over 500 emails in opposition leading up to the vote. We are extremely grateful to the Biden administration and our three elected officials—Representative Julia Brownley, Representative Salud Carbajal, and Representative Zoe Lofgren — who stood firm against the legislation and listened to the concerns of their constituents.
What is the “Fix Our Forests Act”
H.R. 8790, the Fix Our Forests Act, was introduced in June earlier this year by Rep. Westerman (R-AR). The bill was quickly set for a markup two weeks after its introduction and had a House floor vote in late September where it passed. The legislation received large-scale opposition from environmental groups throughout the nation including Center for Biological Diversity, Earthjustice, and Sierra Club.
Perhaps the most alarming provisions of the bill would create loopholes allowing environmentally harmful projects up to 10,000 acres to proceed with minimal public input and environmental review. Logging and vegetation clearing across this large acreage is likely to have significant impacts on habitats, watersheds, and ecosystems. Authorizing massive logging projects without objective environmental review, public engagement, and the use of best available science, is unacceptable particularly as our forests are facing new challenges in the face of climate change and the biodiversity crisis.
Other provisions in the bill inappropriately and severely limit long-standing judicial review standards for certain Forest Service and BLM actions, making it more difficult for community organizations like ForestWatch to challenge projects in court.
Biden Administration Opposes H.R. 8790
Prior to the House floor vote, the Biden administration released a Statement of Administration Policy for H.R. 8790 Fix Our Forests Act. The Administration firmly opposed the Fix Our Forests Act stating that it, “would undermine basic protections for communities, lands, waters, and wildlife; reduce opportunities for public input; and heighten the likelihood for conflict, litigation, and delay on needed forest restoration and resilience work”.
This statement reflects the concerns of many environmental groups. However, despite the administration’s firm stance, some Democrats still voted in favor of the bill. We were disappointed to see Representative Jimmy Panetta join with local Republican representatives Mike Garcia and Vince Fong in vote “Yes” for the bill.
The bigger picture: It’s All Connected
One thing remains clear, these highly controversial pieces of legislation often are marketed as bipartisan and tend to pass despite widespread opposition, even when the administration takes a firm stance against them. For this reason, it is even more important that constituent voices are heard. Contacting your elected officials to express your opposition to harmful legislation is incredibly valuable. It is essential to hold them accountable for their decisions in D.C. and remind them they are there to serve you.
While the House has passed the Fix Our Forests Act, the Senate has indicated they are not interested in moving forward with it as is. ForestWatch continues to track its progress and will respond as necessary to protect our forests from egregious logging industry overreach.
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