Big Sky Times

When U.S. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) recently visited the Bridger Foothills Fire near his hometown of Bozeman, he was reminded of how important the bill is that he has been working on for almost one year.

Daines surveyed the damage of the fire that destroyed 28 homes. Nobody died in the blaze, but two of the 35 people this year who have died in wildfires nationally are from Montana. 

“The impact these fires have on our rural communities will be felt for years to come, including our economy and our outdoor way of life,” Daines said at a U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing. “The severity and intensity of wildfires we are witnessing can be attributed to multiple factors, including both a decline in forest management and warming temperatures. While we can debate the extent to which different factors contribute to the wildfire activity, I think we can all agree to the need for a bold, broad bipartisan solution.”

Daines took a big step toward doing that at the hearing by introducing a wildfire prevention bill with Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).

The bill aims to create well-paying timber jobs, reduce frivolous litigation, protect wildlife habitats and air and water quality and reduce the risk of wildfire in at-risk communities.

The introduction of the bill comes during an especially dangerous time during wildfire season. The National Interagency Fire Center is reporting that 78 large fires have burned 3.9 million acres in the United States and that nearly 32,000 firefighters and support staff have been called into duty.

Of those 78 fires, eight have occurred in Montana.

“We are at a critical time,” Daines said. “The West is burning. People are dying. The smoke is literally starting to cover our country. And our way of life as we know it is in danger. We can’t run to our corners. We can’t fall to partisan politics. It’s a time to come together, Democrats and Republicans, and pass meaningful forestry reform. This bipartisan bill does just that.”

More than 20 organizations, including the National Deer Alliance and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and California Gov. Gavin Newson (D) wrote statements of support, further debunking myths Daines said have been used to shoot down his efforts.

“Some have said this legislation undermines environmental law and skirts judicial review,” Daines said. “That couldn’t be further from the truth. This bipartisan bill uses time-tested approaches to expedite and streamline critical projects without circumventing public input or environmental review."