{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/wyden-colleagues-demand-answers-from-usfs-on-stalled-hazardous-fuel-reduction-projects", "Wyden, Colleagues Demand Answers from USFS on Stalled Hazardous Fuel Reduction Projects", "2025-12-12", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "OR", "Ron Wyden", "W000779", "www.wyden.senate.gov", "wyden", "https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "Lawmakers\u2019 letter notes that wildfire prevention work under Trump is down nearly 40 percent from previous years\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has joined Senate colleagues to demand information from the Trump administration on the number of hazardous fuels projects that have completed environmental reviews pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act, but have not yet been implemented \u2013 commonly referred to as \u201cshelf stock.\u201d\n\n\u201cRecent reports indicate that the U.S. Forest Service\u2019s (USFS) work to reduce hazardous fuels across the national forest system in Fiscal Year 2025 was down nearly 40% from its previous four-year average. In a letter to Congress on August 6, 2025, you attributed your constrained \u201ccapacity to treat additional acres\u201d in part to \u201csignificant resource and personnel\u201d needs elsewhere at the agency,\u201d the lawmakers wrote to USFS Chief Tom Schultz. \u201cGiven these issues, and the Trump administration\u2019s reduction of nearly 5,000 USFS staff, we are concerned that the decline in hazardous fuels projects stems from insufficient staffing needed to implement already-approved projects, including for mechanical thinning and prescribed fire.\u201d\n\nThe lawmakers highlight that the Trump administration has failed to complete hazardous fuels reduction projects at the same pace and scale as in prior years or at the rate needed in their communities.\n\n\u201cAs you know, the best measures to protect lives and property from wildfire is preparedness \u2013 reducing fire risks before a conflagration ignites,\u201d the lawmakers concluded.\n\nThe letter was led by U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, D-Colo. In addition to Wyden, the letter was signed by U.S. Senator Adam Schiff, D-Calif.", 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.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/wyden-colleagues-demand-answers-from-usfs-on-stalled-hazardous-fuel-reduction-projects"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.0267157815396786, "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"}