Capitol Beat
Wednesday, May 26th, 2004 Catastrophe Legislation & Regulation PropertyLast December, Congress enacted legislation to reduce the risk of fire in national forests, particularly along the wildland-urban interface, by clearing brush and thinning forests. The bill expedites projects to reduce the brush and diseased trees that fuel wildfires by streamlining the appeal and environmental review processes. It also alters the process by which federal courts consider legal challenges, requiring that judges weigh the environmental consequences of inaction, including the risk of fire, and reconsider court orders blocking such projects every 60 days. Under the terms of the legislation, $760 million a year would be authorized for thinning and clearing 20 million acres of federal land. That figure is nearly double the $420 million currently allocated for such projects. Fuel reduction projects near residences and communities must account for at least half of all monies spent.
