Rep. Schrier’s Bill to Clean-Up Damaged Forest Lands Passes House with Strong Bipartisan Support

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House passed Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08)'s bipartisan bill to fund the remediation and restoration of damaged public lands with a vote of 385-42. The National Forest Restoration and Remediation Act (HR 4489) was introduced earlier this year with Representatives Matt Rosendale (R-MT), Joe Neguse (D-CO), and Doug LaMalfa (R-CA). This bill would allow the Forest Service to collect and keep the interest earned on settlement funds in order to supplement restoration efforts. It passed unanimously in the House Agriculture Committee last month.

Rep. Schrier's remarks on her bill can be found here.

"The Forest Service is responsible for overseeing the remediation and restoration of lands damaged by mining activities and human-caused wildfires. When the negligent actions of companies or individuals result in damages to Forest Service property, officials enter a settlement agreement with the responsible parties to hold them accountable," said Rep. Schrier. "This bipartisan, commonsense legislation would allow the Forest Service to collect and keep the interest earned on settlement funds, much like other Federal agencies do, in order to supplement restoration efforts. As we confront another potentially devastating wildfire season, it's important to ensure the Forest Service can use accrued interest to protect and remediate forests."

"Congresswoman Schrier's bill is a testament to her hard work and commitment to the people of her district and our Western forest communities. Coming off years of historic wildfires, ensuring that the Forest Service has every tool available for wildfire remediation and restoration is imperative. I enthusiastically support this bipartisan legislation," said House Agriculture Committee Chairman David Scott.

"The National Forest Restoration and Remediation Act is common-sense legislation that would allow the Forest Service to use accumulated interest on settlement agreement funds to restore and protect damaged forest lands without any additional costs to taxpayers. While the Department of the Interior is already able to use interest on settlement funds, the Forest Service is not—which leads to delays in restoration work and has the potential for budget shortfalls. I'm happy to join Congresswoman Schrier in this bipartisan effort to restore and preserve damaged public lands—and pleased to see our bill pass the House," said Rep. Rosendale.

Right now, the Forest Service does not have the authority to retain interest on settlement funds like other Federal agencies, such as the Department of Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency.

The National Forest Restoration and Remediation Act would allow the Forest Service to retain interest on settlement funds and apply those additional resources to complete necessary restoration work. Without this additional funding, the value of settlement funds diminishes over time and the Forest Service can face long-term budget shortfalls for environmental clean-up. If this bill had been in place between Fiscal Years 2015 and 2019, the Forest Service would have received more than $7.5 million to supplement environmental restoration.

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