Bill

H.R. 471 (119th): Fix Our Forests Act

Fix Our Forests Act This bill establishes requirements for managing forests on federal land, including requirements concerning reducing wildfire threats, expediting the review of certain forest management projects, and implementing forest management projects and other activities. Specifically, the bill (1) designates certain firesheds at high risk for wildfires as fireshed management areas; (2) directs the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Geological Survey to jointly establish an interagency Fireshed Center that is responsible for duties related to assessing and predicting fire, including maintaining a fireshed registry on a publicly accessible website that provides interactive geospatial data on individual firesheds; and (3) makes other requirements related to reducing wildfire. Next, the bill expedites the review of certain forest management projects under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 and exempts certain activities from NEPA review. It also establishes intra-agency strike teams to accelerate the review and any interagency consultation processes under NEPA, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and the National Historic Preservation Act. It also limits consultation requirements concerning threatened and endangered species under the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 and the Federal Land Management and Policy Act of 1976. Finally, it limits litigation involving fireshed management projects and limits remedies that courts may provide. Additionally, the bill supports reducing community wildfire risks, carrying out forest restoration and stewardship activities (including watershed protection and restoration), conducting biochar demonstration projects, advancing technologies to address forest wildfires, and assisting wildland firefighters and their families.

house · Substantive

Rankings updated October 26, 2026, 11:44 AM ET · Votes through September 30, 2026
Exported candidates: 719 | Filings on file, by office: H: 5838 | P: 1467 | S: 1567. These counts include every filing for that office, so they are larger than the ranked list. One person can have more than one filing. Non-voting delegates are left out.

Official source

Summary

Recorded summary

The bill sets requirements for managing federal forests to reduce wildfire threats. It designates high-risk firesheds as fireshed management areas and directs the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Geological Survey to create an interagency Fireshed Center with a public geospatial registry. It expedites NEPA review for certain forest projects and exempts some activities from NEPA. It creates intra-agency strike teams to speed NEPA, ESA, and National Historic Preservation Act reviews, limits certain threatened and endangered species consultation requirements under two federal land management statutes, and limits litigation over fireshed projects and the remedies courts may grant. It also supports community wildfire risk reduction, forest restoration and watershed work, biochar demonstrations, firefighting technology, and assistance to wildland firefighters and their families.

environmental_reviewenvironmental_stewardshipforest_managementjudicial_review_limitswildfire_mitigation

Theological note: Scripture calls humanity to faithful stewardship of creation (Genesis 2:15), and protecting forests, watersheds, and communities from catastrophic fire fits that calling. The issue also raises questions of general equity: streamlined review and narrowed judicial remedies can weaken checks on decisions that affect endangered species, historic sites, and affected communities. These are prudential governance tradeoffs with real stakes on both sides, not a clear moral verdict on the bill.

Scoring

How this bill is scored

Debt and war Cloture and Tier 1 Procedural votes Scoring mechanics

Roll

Recorded votes

Roll 25 · 23-Jan-2025 3:42 PM · On Passage · Passed

Yea 279 · Nay 141 · Other 13

Yea

Nay

Other

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