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Floor Speech

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Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Madam President, I rise today to introduce the Fire Safe Electrical Corridors Act of 2023 and thank my colleague Senator Padilla for joining as an original cosponsor.

Our bill would allow the U.S. Forest Service to approve removal of hazardous trees near power lines on Federal forest lands without a timber sale, thereby reducing administrative burden and reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire.

Californians are all too familiar with the potential for electrical power lines to cause devastating wildfires. Three of the largest and most destructive wildfires in California history--the 2017 Thomas Fire, the 2018 Camp Fire, and the 2021 Dixie Fire--were started by electrical equipment. Together, these wildfires burned more than 1.2 million acres, destroyed more than 15,000 homes, and killed 87 people.

When power lines cross Federal land, the Forest Service generally requires utility companies to keep the area around them free of trees that could touch or fall on the lines or otherwise ignite. Removing those cut trees, however, requires the Forest Service to hold a timber sale, which imposes administrative costs. Meanwhile, cut trees often linger on the landscape, posing a continued risk of igniting during a wildfire or damaging other infrastructure during a flood.

Our bill would make targeted changes to existing Forest Service authorities to encourage quicker and less costly removal of the trees. Specifically, we would allow the Secretary of Agriculture to grant utilities permission to cut and remove trees or other vegetation near their power lines without a separate timber sale, provided that that removal is consistent with existing forest management plans.

Included in this legislation is a requirement that any proceeds obtained from timber or forest products removed under this authority be returned to the Forest Service. This removes any financial incentive to remove trees other than those necessary for wildfire mitigation. After all, the goal is to streamline actions that protect against devastating wildfires--protecting, not removing, our Nation's forests.

Congress has an opportunity this year to make this small change to Forest Service authorities to ensure better stewardship of our national forests and prevent catastrophic wildfires. I thank Senator Padilla for his partnership on this bill, and I urge the full Senate to take it up and and pass it as soon as possible. ______

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