John Curtis pushed to fast-track wildfire prevention bill on Senate floor — and it worked

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The Senate approved Sen. John Curtis' wildfire emissions bill using a fast-track process.
• Curtis' bill allows states flexibility with prescribed burns to prevent wildfires.
• The bill, supported by Western state senators, now awaits consideration in the House of Representatives.

SALT LAKE CITY — The Senate unanimously approved a wildfire emissions bill aimed at helping states prevent wildfires after Sen. John Curtis used a fast-track procedure to expedite its passage.

Curtis formally invoked his bipartisan Wildfire Emissions Prevention Act on the Senate floor on Tuesday afternoon, requesting unanimous consent to immediately advance the legislation through the Senate. The unanimous consent procedure is often used by lawmakers for noncontroversial legislation to skip debate and voting proceedings, which can take days on the floor.

No senator objected to Curtis' request, meaning it automatically passed. It's the first time Curtis has attempted a unanimous consent request since being sworn into the Senate last year.

It will now be sent to the House, which is not scheduled to return to Washington until after the midterm elections.

"More than 1,200 wildfires have already scorched half a million acres of our state. With every passing day, the threat to our communities, our lands, and our very lives grows more severe," Curtis said on the floor. "That is why it makes no sense to leave a critical tool like controlled burns off the table. Prescribed fire is one of the most effective ways to reduce hazardous fuels and prevent catastrophic wildfires."

What would the Wildfire Emissions Prevention Act do?

The proposed bill would aid in states' prevention strategies by making it easier for local governments and communities to use prescribed fires to reduce the amount of kindling available that contribute to large-scale wildfires. Current federal regulations limit prescribed burns states can conduct because of the air pollution the fires cause, which lawmakers warn can discourage states from taking the precautionary step — increasing the risk of catastrophic fires, which can cause even more air pollution.

Curtis' bill would amend the Clean Air Act to give states more flexibility with air-quality monitoring data by treating prescribed-fire emissions differently while still protecting ecosystems and wildlife habitats. That way, states won't be penalized for pollution caused by prescribed burns.

"Prescribed fire is one of the most effective ways to reduce hazardous fuels and prevent catastrophic wildfires," Curtis said. "The data, as presented to me by the Forest Service, is clear: Wildfires prevention and containment are far more successful in areas where prescribed burns took place. Yet states that proactively use prescribed burns can face regulatory consequences for the temporary emissions created by the very work that prevents far greater wildfire emissions."

"The people of Utah are not looking for an emissions loophole. They are looking to protect their families, communities, and land," he added. "This is about recognizing that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Western state senators unite to back bill

The Wildfire Emissions Prevention Act passed out of the Senate Environment and Public Works in an unanimous roll call vote earlier this month and has garnered widespread bipartisan support — particularly among lawmakers in Western states, which have been ravaged by wildfires this summer.

The bill was introduced alongside Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, who noted that wildfires not only cause destruction but also fill the air with dangerous toxins. The temporary smoke from prescribed burns, he argued, were far more beneficial than risking uncontrolled wildfires.

"They have to be meticulously planned, carefully controlled, and then they reduce so much fuel on the ground and provide a lot of protection thereafter," Merkley said. "So prescribed burns are, along with thinning and mowing significant ways to reduce the fuel load and reduce the devastation when there is a fire."

Curtis has several other wildfire prevention bills floating through Congress, but none have made it to the floor for a vote due to competing priorities and a packed legislative schedule. The Senate is scheduled to leave this week for its campaign recess period, prompting Curtis to put his bill on the floor through the unanimous consent procedure to ensure it would pass before the six-week absence.

It's not yet clear how quickly the House will bring up the bill when it returns in November. Lawmakers have only five weeks left in the calendar year to pass legislation, after which bills would need to be reintroduced after the new Congress is sworn in.

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.

Related topics

Utah congressional delegationUtah wildfiresU.S.PoliticsEnvironment