Electric utilities are calling for the U.S. Senate to pass legislation aimed at reducing wildfire intensity and restoring forest health, in part by allowing power companies greater leeway around vegetation management.
The House passed the Save our Forests Act on Thursday in a 279 to 141 vote.
The bill would “simplify and expedite the most critical forest management projects while maintaining strong environmental standards,” Rep. Scott Peters, D-Calif., said in a floor speech. “It will reduce the threat of litigation, and add new ways for communities to provide input early.”
Peters introduced the bill with Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark.
The bill would designate certain areas at high risk for wildfires as “fireshed management areas” and directs the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Geological Survey to establish a joint center responsible for duties related to assessing and predicting fires.
The bill also includes categorical exclusions for electric utility line rights-of-ways, allowing vegetation management on federal lands to take place without an environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement. And it would allow utilities to cut and remove trees near power lines on federal lands without a timber sale.
There is opposition to the measure, with some advocates warning the bill cuts important environmental reviews. Environment America said it understands the need to address wildfires but warned the bill could have “devastating consequences for the environment and endangered species.”
“The Fix Our Forests Act bypasses critical environmental laws that protect our ecosystems and restricts scientific input and public engagement,” the group said in a statement.
Edison Electric Institute interim President and CEO Pat Vincent-Collawn urged the Senate to pass the bill.
“We need common-sense legislation to protect more homes and communities and to create a more reliable and resilient energy grid, while helping keep costs to customers as low as possible,” Vincent-Collawn said in a statement.
The Fix Our Forests Act “includes crucial improvements to grid hardening and wildfire mitigation procedures that will help co-ops better address wildfire hazards on utility rights-of-way and better protect the communities they serve,” National Rural Electric Cooperative Association CEO Jim Matheson said in a statement.
Pacific Gas & Electric is also supporting the bill, saying it takes a “comprehensive” approach. In early 2019, PG&E filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after fires caused by its powerlines burned hundreds of thousands of acres in Northern California and led to more than 100 deaths. The utility exited bankruptcy in 2020.
“In the wake of the devastating southern California wildfires, lawmakers must address drought-stricken trees and fire-prone federal forests that fueled the wind-driven fires,” PG&E CEO Patti Poppe said. The utility “supports legislation that would expedite permitting and approvals and reduce barriers to the essential work of keeping powerlines clear of vegetation.”
