Luján, Sullivan, Padilla, Sheehy Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Boost Wildfire Mitigation and Research

As Wildfires Have Devasted New Mexico and Western States in Recent Years, Luján’s Bipartisan Bill Would Create Career Pathways to Tackle Growing Wildfire Threats

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) reintroduced the bipartisan Regional Leadership in Wildland Fire Research Act, legislation that would establish regional research centers at institutions of higher education across the country to boost wildfire mitigation and research. Under this legislation, these regional centers would be tasked with developing next-generation fire and vegetation models and technologies to support wildland fire management and address the specific needs of the region they are situated in. Additionally, this bill would establish a National Center Coordination Board to coordinate the work of regional centers and establish Regional Advisory Boards from wildfire management agencies, state and Tribal governments, and other stakeholders to provide input and assistance.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, current wildfire models are failing to adequately predict fire behavior under extreme conditions and in more complex environments. These models also struggle to reproduce recent catastrophic wildfires, making them more likely to fail at predicting future wildfires or determining when and where it is safe to conduct prescribed burns. To support effective wildland fire management and prepare firefighters against evolving risks, next-generation fire and vegetation models are needed.

“Far too many communities in New Mexico and in states across the country know that wildfire season can cost you everything. We must do everything possible to understand the root causes of these wildfires and how local communities can improve wildfire mitigation efforts and save lives and livelihoods,” said Senator Luján. “I’m proud to partner with Senator Sullivan to reintroduce this bipartisan legislation to establish regional research centers tasked with developing next-generation fire and vegetation models and technologies to boost wildfire mitigation. Each of these regional centers will help boost wildland fire management across the country while creating more opportunities for a good-paying job through career training for wildfire research. I look forward to working with my colleagues to get this bill signed into law.”

“Wildfires burn millions of acres in Alaska every year—sometimes as much or more than the combined acreage burned in the rest of the country,” said Senator Sullivan. “To better protect lives, homes and critical infrastructure, we need to invest in research that will produce more accurate models and empower our wildland firefighters to better predict and extinguish fires before they become full-scale natural disasters. I’m glad to reintroduce legislation with Senator Luján to establish wildland fire research centers at our universities with specialized expertise in this space—like UAF in Interior Alaska—and develop more effective firefighting strategies that respond to the unique circumstances of each of our states.”

“Californians are all too familiar with the devastating toll catastrophic wildfires can take on their communities, burning down homes and businesses, and uprooting families’ livelihoods,” said Senator Padilla. “As the climate crisis makes wildfires more dangerous and harder to predict, expanding our wildland fire research would help us better prepare for wildfires and safely conduct prescribed burns ahead of peak fire season. California universities are already the nation’s leading hub for wildfire research and technology, and this bipartisan effort is a critical step forward in expanding next-generation fire mitigation efforts.”

“If we’ve learned anything from recent wildfire tragedies across the country, it’s that the threat of catastrophic wildfires isn’t seasonal, nor is it isolated to one region; it’s a year-round, nationwide threat. I’m proud to join this bipartisan effort with my colleagues to invest in better anticipating wildland fires, streamlining our response, and ensuring we are fighting these fires faster and more effectively to keep communities safe,” said Senator Sheehy.

Each regional research center will:

• Conduct research to improve our understanding of wildland fire, including causes and associated risks for fires, rehabilitation of affected ecosystems, mitigation strategies that improve firefighter safety, and more;
• Develop, maintain, and operate next-generation fire and vegetation models and technologies to support wildland fire management; and,
• Develop a career pathway training program to help carry out wildland fire research.

The bill is supported by the Federation of American Scientists, Megafire Action, National Association of State Foresters, National Federation of Federal Employees, the Nature Conservancy, the University of New Mexico, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

“The University of New Mexico stands in strong support of this legislation sponsored by Senator Ben Ray Luján and Senator Dan Sullivan, seeking to improve existing models of wildland fire risk and build new, improved forecasts of wildfire susceptibility. UNM, along with our state and federal partners, acknowledges the critical function this legislation will serve as we aim to provide more accurate information to land managers and firefighters who share our interest in protecting our local communities and forested watersheds, preserving rural livelihoods and sustaining agricultural economies in New Mexico for future generations,” said Garnett S. Stokes, President, The University of New Mexico.

“We spend billions on improving our understanding of disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes – that hasn’t happened yet with megafire. The Regional Leadership in Wildland Fire Research Act recognizes and invests in our research community to produce region specific scientific research and solutions to catastrophic wildfires, allowing innovators and wildland firefighters to use this information to directly leverage technology to predict, detect, and prevent megafire,” said Matt Weiner, CEO of Megafire Action.

“Extreme weather has pushed wildfires to grow in size and severity, making our current wildfire models inadequate. The Regional Leadership in Wildland Fire Research Act is a significant investment in understanding how wildland fire risks continue to evolve, and establishes a strong foundation that first responders and forest managers can rely on,” said Daniel Correa, Chief Executive Officer of the Federation of American Scientists. “We commend Senator Luján and Senator Sullivan for their leadership to champion and invest in innovative next-generation fire and vegetation models to protect human health, ecosystems, and our communities.”

“Approximately 80% of Alaska’s population is living in areas at risk of wildland fire. It is vital that we improve our understanding of and develop better ways to prevent and combat wildland fire on a regional basis. The best way to accomplish these goals is through regional research efforts. I’m grateful Senator Sullivan recognizes this and thankful for his leadership and introduction of the Regional Leadership in Wildland Fire Research Act. UAF stands ready to advance wildland fire regional research to help protect lives and property in Alaska. I also want to thank Senator Luján for partnering with Senator Sullivan on this important legislation,” said Dr. Dan White, Chancellor of the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF).

“NFFE is pleased to endorse the Regional Leadership in Wildland Fire Research Act, which will provide critical resources for research and technology that will help protect American communities from the wildfire crisis,” said NFFE National President Randy Erwin. “If we are to properly address devastating megafires and improve wildland firefighter safety, we must also develop the next generation of experts to support wildland fire research. Thank you to Senator Luján for his leadership on this issue.”

Full text of the bill is available here. A one-pager of the bill is available here.

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