Press Releases

WASHINGTON –The U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass H.R. 471, the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act, which included the Post-Disaster Reforestation and Restoration Act introduced by Representatives Brittany Pettersen (CO-07) and Chuck Edwards (NC-11). This bill would help communities impacted by natural disasters recover and rebuild more resilient to future threats through reforestation and restoration efforts.

The Fix Our Forest Act also includes Representative Pettersen and Jay Obernolte (CA-23)’s bipartisan amendment to promote the use of emerging technology like low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to enhance wildfire mitigation, early detection, and community protection.

“As wildfires become a year-round threat, prioritizing post-disaster recovery and early detection is critical to make sure our communities recover and rebuild more resilient to future threats,” said Pettersen. “The devastation caused by the wildfires in Southern California makes the need for Congress to pass this bipartisan legislation even more urgent. I’m thankful for the partnership of Congressmen Edwards and Obernolte and will keep working to get this signed into law.”

Pettersen was unable to vote on H.R. 471 due to medical and travel restrictions ahead of her due date. Unfortunately, outdated House rules do not allow members who are pregnant or who have recently welcomed a new child to vote by proxy. If Speaker Johnson had allowed proxy voting in the 119th Congress Rules Package, Pettersen would have voted YES on this legislation.

Specifically:

• The Post-Disaster Reforestation and Restoration Act would require the Department of Interior, in coordination with states, local governments, tribes, and colleges to identify critical lands in need of rehabilitation after natural disasters and support projects through grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements. The legislation is endorsed by the following organizations: The Nature Conservancy, American Forests, National Association of Counties, the National Association of University Forest Resources Programs, and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.
  
  
• The amendment with Rep. Obernolte adds LEO satellites to Fix Our Forests Act’s public-private wildfire technology testbed program. The multi-agency testbed program would support private companies, nonprofits, and higher learning institutions as they invest in key technology that advances wildfire prevention, detection, communication and mitigation strategies. Some of the allowable applications of this emerging technology would be hazardous fuels reduction, dispatch communications, remote sensing and other strategies to bolster wildfire defenses.