{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.curtis.senate.gov/press-releases/curtis-wildfire-emissions-prevention-bill-unanimously-passes-committee", "Curtis\u00a0Wildfire Emissions Prevention Bill Unanimously Passes Committee", "2026-09-16", "2026", "2026-09", "Republican", "Senate", "UT", "John R. Curtis", "C001114", "www.curtis.senate.gov", "curtis", "https://www.curtis.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Bipartisan legislation to remove regulatory burden on proactive forest management unanimously passes Senate EPW Committee\n\nWASHINGTON\u2014U.S. Senator John Curtis (R-UT) today applauded the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee\u2019s unanimous passage of the Wildfire Emissions Prevention Act (WEPA), bipartisan legislation to streamline states\u2019 use of prescribed fires to prevent wildfire emissions, protect ecosystems and wildlife habitats, and make American forests and communities safer, healthier, and cleaner. The bill\u2014led by Senator Curtis\u2014is cosponsored by EPW Chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), John Boozman (R-AR), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Mark Kelly (D-AZ).\n\n\u201cToday\u2019s unanimous approval by the Committee brings us one step closer to addressing the glaring irony in our current environmental regulations: They deter prescribed burns due to pollution concerns, practically guaranteeing catastrophic wildfires that emit far more carbon than proactive management ever would,\u201d said Senator Curtis. \u201cI thank my colleagues for their work and support and look forward to the bill\u2019s passage by the full Senate.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe unanimous passage of the WEPA through the EPW Committee represents a key step toward implementing common-sense solutions that will help states more effectively prevent wildfires and protect their land and communities. I am grateful to Senator Curtis and Senator Merkley for their leadership on this bill, and I look forward to supporting its passage through the full Senate,\u201d said Chair Capito.\n\n\u201cAs climate chaos fuels longer, hotter, and more dangerous wildfire seasons, our communities need to have all the necessary resources to mitigate wildfire threats. Prescribed fire and cultural burning on the landscape are one such tool by reducing hazardous fuels,\u201d said Senator Merkley. \u201cThis bipartisan bill would streamline the use of prescribed burns and establish the Smoke Ready Communities Program, which is based on provisions from my Smoke and Heat Ready Communities Act. As our Wildfire Emissions Prevention Actmoves closer to becoming law, we are on the way to supporting more prescribed fire on the landscape\u2014an essential forest management activity\u2014while giving our communities the resources to plan and prepare for smoke events, protecting public health and saving lives.\u201d\n\n\u201cEmpowering states to proactively manage forests will reduce the frequency and devastation that wildfires increasingly inflict on communities. I am pleased the EPW Committee reached strong, bipartisan consensus around this commonsense solution and appreciate Sen. Curtis\u2019 leadership on this critical issue,\u201d said Senator Boozman.\n\n\u201cYear after year, increasingly devastating wildfires ravage our public lands and communities, so it\u2019s critical we act with urgency,\u201d said Senator Padilla. \u201cToday\u2019s unanimous Committee vote to advance WEPA will allow more prescribed fire to be deployed on the landscape and help prevent or mitigate wildfires. I am proud to see our bill advance as we work to be proactive in responding to the wildfire crisis instead of waiting to respond after disaster strikes.\u201d\n\n\u201cIn Arizona, we know just how catastrophic wildfires can be. One of the best tools we have to reduce wildfire risk and the damage it wreaks is prescribed fires. But right now, federal air quality rules can make it harder for states to use prescribed fire proactively,\u201d said Senator Kelly. \u201cThe WEPA gives states greater certainty that they won\u2019t be penalized under the Clean Air Act for responsibly using prescribed burns to reduce the risk of a much larger and more destructive wildfires. This is a commonsense change that will help us keep our communities safe and our forests healthy.\u201d\n\nSenator Curtis\u2019 remarks at the markup can be viewed here, and transcript is below:\n\n\u201cI\u2019m very pleased that the Committee is advancing the Wildfire Emissions Prevention Act today. In Utah and across the West, wildfire season is increasingly becoming a year-round challenge.\n\n\u201cThis year, we have had an astonishing half-million acres burned. These fires are also followed by devastating floods, making this even worse.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve had a chance to sit with the Forest Service, and they will show me where they have proactively done the prescribed burns, and clearly they\u2019re able to contain the fire within these areas, and where they can\u2019t contain it is where it escapes these prescribed burns. And of course, this bill gives them better tools.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ve sadly penalized states because of the emissions that these prescribed burns cause. And that\u2019s not the intention, because doing prescribed burns actually can dramatically reduce emissions. And so, I\u2019m thankful for the Committee\u2019s support. And I want to point out we\u2019re not looking for a loophole on emissions reporting. And this is the perfect scenario of \u201cAn ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.\n\n\u201cWe should not be penalizing states for taking responsible steps to reduce wildfires, protect communities, and improve air. I\u2019m grateful for the cosponsors of this bill, and I look forward to getting this across the finish line.\u201d\n\nBackground:\n\nUtah fire seasons typically begin in July and end in October. To date, Utah has experienced over 1,183 total wildfires with more than 560,478 acres burned and many still out of control.\n\nWhile topography and natural weather conditions like a historic drought and an increasingly arid, hot climate contribute to an increase in the number of fires and their intensity, land managers can effectively influence fire behavior through proactive measures like prescribed burns. This reduces the amount of hazardous fuels, the dry vegetation that catches fire easily\u2014helping protect forests, properties, and communities along the wildland-urban interface.\n\nImplementing these measures has become increasingly burdensome, with environmental reviews for even the smallest projects taking up to four years. Moreover, land managers can be deterred from prescribed burns due to existing environmental penalties. Yet, avoiding these controlled burns practically guarantees catastrophic wildfires that emit far more carbon than proactive management ever would. Senator Curtis has remained vocal on this issue, responding to a recent Wall Street Journal editorial highlighting the bill and his other efforts to address wildfires. Read the piece here.\n\nThe Wildfire Emissions Prevention Act would:\n\nMake it easier for states and communities to use prescribed fire to prevent wildfire emissions;\n\nProtect ecosystems and wildlife habitat;\n\nProvide certainty that states won\u2019t be penalized for taking action to prevent wildfires;\n\nPromote the efficient use of state air quality resources; and\n\nMake our forests and communities safer, healthier, and cleaner.\n\nA one-pager on the bill is available here, and the full bill text is available here.", 1, "2026-09-18T09:27:43Z", "2026-09-18T09:29:09Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.curtis.senate.gov/press-releases/curtis-wildfire-emissions-prevention-bill-unanimously-passes-committee"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8154639508575201, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}