{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.lujan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/heinrich-lujan-push-for-emergency-funding-for-wildfire-recovery-on-new-mexico-public-lands/", "Heinrich, Luj\u00e1n Push for Emergency Funding for Wildfire Recovery on New Mexico Public Lands", "2025-12-04", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NM", "Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n", "L000570", "www.lujan.senate.gov", "lujan", "https://www.lujan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/?jsf=jet-engine:press-list", "scraper", "Heinrich and Luj\u00e1n\u2019s push comes amid the Trump Administration\u2019s failure to properly engage in forest management and wildfire prevention to keep New Mexico communities safe\n\nWASHINGTON \u2013 Amid the Trump Administration\u2019s failure to properly engage in forest management and wildfire prevention \u2014 including slowing down the U.S. Forest Service\u2019s rate of prescribed burns, fuel treatments, and other fire-prevention work \u2014 U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-N.M.), a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, sent a letter calling on the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee leadership to include additional funding to support wildfire recovery on federal lands in New Mexico and nationwide.\n\nIn a letter to U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the senators pressed for additional resources to help National Parks, National Forests, and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands recover from this year\u2019s devastating wildfires. Since damage to federal lands is not covered by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding, federal land agencies themselves are responsible for cleanup and restoration costs.\n\n\u201cWe write to request that any emergency disaster appropriations bills drafted this year include funding for wildfire recovery on federal lands,\u201d the senators wrote to Chair Collins and Vice Chair Murray. \u201cRepairing wildfire damages to National Parks, National Forests, and Bureau of Land Management Lands is vital for the safety and economies of the entire country. Just as our forests and parks require restoration, so too do the surrounding counties and communities that bear the economic and infrastructure impacts of these disasters; their recovery is inseparable from that of the federal lands themselves.\u201d\n\nWhile noting that the Gila National Forest experienced the damaging and widespread effects of wildfire this year, the senators also underscore that mitigation activities such as removing hazard trees, road and bridge assessment, structural replacements, and trail repairs are needed.\n\n\u201cIn the past, Congress has appropriated the funds our public land agencies require for their critical response, remediation, and mitigation activities,\u201d the senators continued.\u201cEnsuring that federal lands are restored after wildfires is a responsibility to our shared, national heritage.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe stand ready to provide any additional information or support that the Appropriations Committee may require to ensure that our federal lands, surrounding counties, and gateway communities receive the resources necessary to recover fully and build long-term resilience,\u201d the senators concluded.\n\nThe letter is led by U.S. Senator Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.). Alongside Heinrich and Luj\u00e1n, the letter is signed by U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).\n\nRead the full text of the letter here and below.\n\nDear Chair Collins and Vice Chair Murray:\n\nWe write to request that any emergency disaster appropriations bills drafted this year include funding for wildfire recovery on federal lands. Repairing wildfire damages to National Parks, National Forests, and Bureau of Land Management lands is vital for the safety and economy of the entire country. Just as our forests and parks require restoration, so too do the surrounding counties and communities that bear the economic and infrastructure impacts of these disasters; their recovery is inseparable from that of the federal lands themselves.\n\nUnfortunately, federal lands in each of our states have recently experienced the damaging and widespread effects of wildfire. This year, the Dragon Bravo and White Sage fires devastated over 200,000 acres in the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and the Kaibab National Forest, destroying structures including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge.12 Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado, Joshua Tree National Park in California, the Gila National Forest in New Mexico, and the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area in Oregon have all had wildfires this year as well.345 Across the West, nearly a million acres of BLM land burned this year alone.6 While each of these fires has unique response needs, all will require mitigation activities such as removing hazard trees, road and bridge assessment, structural replacements, and trail repairs.\n\nAs you know, unlike wildfire response activities on state, tribal, or private lands which are coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), wildfire response on federal land is managed by the land agencies themselves. In the past, Congress has appropriated the funds our public land agencies require for their critical response, remediation, and mitigation activities.\n\nOur nation\u2019s public lands have tremendous intrinsic, economic, and ecological value. Gateway communities rely on the tourism generated by National Parks and other federal lands for economic development and employment opportunities. Many federal lands include sacred tribal sites that must be preserved to uphold federal trust responsibilities. Our watersheds originate in national forests and on public lands \u2013 promoting wildfire recovery on these lands helps mitigate water pollution for communities downstream. Ensuring that federal lands are restored after wildfires is a responsibility to our shared, national heritage.\n\nWe will continue to work closely with federal land management agencies and local officials in our states to assess specific wildfire reconstruction needs and to identify the most urgent priorities for recovery. We stand ready to provide any additional information or support that the Appropriations Committee may require to ensure that our federal lands, surrounding counties, and gateway communities receive the resources necessary to recover fully and build long-term resilience. Thank you for your consideration of this important request.\n\nSincerely,\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "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.lujan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/heinrich-lujan-push-for-emergency-funding-for-wildfire-recovery-on-new-mexico-public-lands/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.3797949068248272, "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"}