Tim Sheehy Fuels Forest Fix With New Bill

Montana Senator Tim Sheehy continues to fight for firefighting reformation within the US Senate

After passing the Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act in the Senate last week, Senator Sheehy has joined forces with Senators John Curtis (R – Utah), John Hickenlooper (D – Colo.), and Alex Padilla (D – Calif.) in presenting the Fix Our Forests Act, legislation originally introduced in the House of Representatives.

Fix Our Forests Act

According to the National Interagency Fire Center, 2024 saw a 231% increase in burned acres across the nation, from 2.7 million acres in 2023 to nearly 9 million. The Fix Our Forests Act aims to update and establish new processes to reduce wildfire risks, streamline treatments for forest health, and create interagency assistance programs for communities. These aims will also cascade into expanded research on wildfire prevention, detection, and mitigation alongside reforestation, seeding, and nursing through a new Wildfire Intelligence Center, which will also help federal response and coordination across agencies nationwide.

Sheehy Speaks

“Better stewarding our forests is something we can all agree on, regardless of party, because it helps secure a stronger economy, more resilient, healthy forests, and safer communities,” said Senator Sheehy. “I’m proud to join my colleagues on this important legislation to support those on the frontlines protecting communities from catastrophic wildfire, better manage our forests, create more good-paying jobs, and unleash our resource economy.”

“Utah and the American West are on the front lines of a growing wildfire crisis—and the longer we wait, the more acres will burn, and more families will be impacted,” said Senator Curtis, with Senator Hickenlooper adding “We need to act NOW with the speed required to mitigate wildfires and make our homes and businesses more resilient to these disasters, and to put in place protections for our communities and the environment.”

Senator Tim Sheehy is a first-term senator, beating John Tester in the 2024 election. Sheehy stepped down as the CEO of Bridger Aerospace during his Senate campaign, an aerial firefighting company based out of Belgrade.