The White House said Monday it’s “strongly opposed” to a Republican-led bill that could speed forest-thinning and related work in national forests.
In a statement, the Office of Management and Budget said the “Fix Our Forests Act,” H.R. 8790, set for consideration in the House this week, could instead delay forest work by spurring more conflict and environmental litigation.
While the measure sponsored by House Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) embraces some recent recommendations of a federal wildfire commission, other provisions would harm the environment, the administration said.
The White House said the bill “contains a number of provisions that would undermine basic protections for communities, lands, waters, and wildlife,” while reducing opportunities for public input on forest projects.
