{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.heller.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=6BDAC16D-80DA-4DDA-8667-84091A7F49D2", "Heller to Senate Colleagues: Take Action to Prevent Wildfires", "2017-10-16", "2017", "2017-10", "Republican", "House", "NV", "Dean Heller", "H001041", "www.heller.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.\u00a0\u2013\u00a0As fire crews continue to combat the scourge of wildfires across California and the West, U.S. Senator Dean Heller (R-NV) today urged Senate leaders to take immediate action on forest management reform legislation, including his Emergency Fuel Reduction Act, to help prevent future devastation.  In a letter sent to U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Heller noted this year\u2019s fire season has been one of the worst on record, burning over 8.5 million acres of land across the Western United States, including 1.2 million acres in Nevada alone. \u201cThe Emergency Fuel Reduction Act is one of many common sense proposals introduced in the Senate that will reform current forest management practices,\u201d wrote Heller. \u201cGiven the devastating effects of this fire season on Nevada and the entire West, I respectfully urge your committee to consider serious forest management reform legislation, like the Emergency Fuel Reduction Act, at the next legislative opportunity in order to improve forest health and slow the spread and frequency of wildfires across the western United States.\u201d If enacted, Heller\u2019s Emergency Fuel Reduction Act, S. 1752, would help prevent the spread of these deadly blazes by expediting the review process for prevention projects when risks on public lands pose a threat to critical infrastructure, private land holders, and endangered species habitats. Heller introduced the proposal with the support of Senators Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), James Risch (R-ID), and Mike Crapo (R-ID) in August. The letter reads in full: October 16, 2017 Dear Chairman Roberts and Ranking Member Stabenow, As wildfires continue to rage across California and the Western United States, I am writing you to urge your committee to immediately consider the issue of forest management reform at the next legislative opportunity.\u00a0Legislation like my Emergency Fuel Reduction Act (S.1752) will bring much needed forest management reforms to our federal land management agencies to prevent the spread of these deadly blazes. This year\u2019s fire season has been one of the worst on record, burning over 8.5 million acres of land across the Western United States.\u00a0Multiple wildfires continue to burn through California, taking the lives of at least 40 people and destroying numerous homes and communities.\u00a0In my home state of Nevada, we have sustained 1.2 million acres of damage alone, threatening rural communities all across the Silver State.\u00a0This is why I reintroduced my legislation, the Emergency Fuel Reduction Act, which will speed up the approval process for fuel reduction projects on federal lands. Specifically, my legislation would exempt fuel reduction projects from the NEPA process on federal lands that are under 10,000 acres and pose a risk for wildfire. \u00a0It also allows for the expedited clean-up of lands filled with dead or dying trees, insect infested trees, and other hazardous fuels that pose a threat to infrastructure or endangered species habitat.\u00a0 The Emergency Fuel Reduction Act is one of many common sense proposals introduced in the Senate that will reform current forest management practices.\u00a0Given the devastating effects of this fire season on Nevada and the entire West, I respectfully urge your committee to consider serious forest management reform legislation, like the Emergency Fuel Reduction Act, at the next legislative opportunity in order to improve forest health and slow the spread and frequency of wildfires across the Western United States. Thank you for considering this request.\u00a0 Please do not hesitate to reach out to me or my staff if you have any questions.\u00a0 Sincerely, DEAN HELLER  U.S. Senator\r\n\u00a0\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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.heller.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=6BDAC16D-80DA-4DDA-8667-84091A7F49D2"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.658750232309103, "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"}