House Passes Rep. Neguse’s Bipartisan Bill to Boost Wildfire Mitigation
“Wildfires do not care if lands are federal, state, or local. They don't respect man-made boundaries or political jurisdictions.”
Washington, D.C. — Today, Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse successfully passed the Cross-Boundary Wildfire Solutions Act through the House. The bipartisan bill seeks to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of wildfire mitigation work across land ownership boundaries by encouraging federal, state, local, private, and tribal entities to adopt an all-hands-on-deck approach to reducing wildfire risks
The Cross-Boundary Wildfire Solutions Act is also championed by Representatives Young Kim (R-CA) and Josh Harder (D-CA), as well as Senator Ruben Gallego. It has already advanced through the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, placing the legislation now just one step away from advancing to the president’s desk.
During consideration of the bill on the House floor Tuesday afternoon, Neguse emphasized the pressing importance of closing gaps in wildfire mitigation authorities.
“Colorado is no stranger to wildfires, but in the last several years, we have had some of the most devastating in the history of our state. The Cameron Peak wildfire, the East Troublesome wildfire—these wildfires that raged across hundreds of thousands of acres of land, federal land, state land, local land, and what we've learned during the course of those fires, and in the wake of that devastation, is the critical need for partnership and for wildfire mitigation that ultimately stretches across these political boundaries,” Congressman Neguse said on the Floor. “The Cross-Boundary Wildfire Solutions Act is simple. It is straightforward. It will help us identify and resolve the challenges that may exist with respect to gaps in wildfire mitigation across land ownership types.”
Watch or download his complete remarks HERE.
Neguse and Gallego first teamed up last year to introduce the Cross-Boundary Wildfire Solutions Act as part of a larger policy package aimed at improving national wildfire mitigation, research, and management. This legislative package was derived from a 2024 report issued by the nonpartisan Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission, which was created as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and tasked with outlining a holistic approach to addressing the rising threat of wildfires.
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