Geoscience Policy Monthly Review
november 2017
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natural hazards
Congress discusses emergency response following the 2017 hurricane season
November 2, 2017
The devastating 2017 hurricane season has prompted Congress to take action in recent months, with a number of committee hearings held in both chambers and new legislation introduced relating to natural disaster preparedness and response.
On October 31, 2017, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held a hearing to discuss emergency response to the series of hurricanes in 2017, and ensure that the federal government is meeting the needs of citizens impacted by these disasters. Witnesses at the hearing addressed the unprecedented nature of this past hurricane season, and the subsequent challenges associated with emergency response. Brock Long, Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), focused his testimony on the vital role of the federal government in supporting state, local, tribal, and territorial partners before, during, and after disasters. Regarding future disaster preparedness, Dr. Robert Kadlec, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the Department of Health and Human Services (DHSS), stated that the DHHS has a team tracking hurricane response efforts in order to understand and identify actions that have worked well and other areas that need improvement, which he believes will be critical to future operations.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a similar hearing two days later to explore initial lessons learned from the 2017 hurricanes and identify key challenges and obstacles that may remain in the way of recovery. The discussion at this hearing focused on examining the authorities of federal partners, including FEMA, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Environmental Protection Agency, to ensure that they have the tools necessary to help communities recovering from disasters, and to help identify solutions that will help reduce future loss of life, lower the rising costs of disasters, and speed recovery.
Also on November 2, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a markup of H.R.4177, the Preparedness and Risk Management for Extreme Weather Patterns Assuring Resilience and Effectiveness (PREPARE) Act of 2017. The bill was introduced by Representative Cartwright (D-PA-17) on October 31, and would help coordinate and facilitate responses to disasters. Specifically, the PREPARE Act would create an interagency oversight council to implement government wide resilience, preparedness, and risk management priorities. It would also facilitate local and state planning to address specific regional issues and establish a regional coordinating system to ensure information sharing. Following consideration by the committee, the bill was reported favorably back to the House.
Sources: Library of Congress, U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Congress considers legislation to improve forest management in wake of recent wildfires
November 16, 2017
In response to the catastrophic wildfires in 2017 thus far, and the escalating costs of battling fire-related damages, Congress is fielding legislation to promote forest management techniques that would return resilience to overgrown, fire-prone forested lands.
On November 1, the House passed H.R.2936, the Resilient Federal Forests Act, by a vote of 232-188. Sponsored by Representative Bruce Westerman (R-AR-4), the bill would expedite reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and improve forest management activities on National Forest System lands and public lands. The legislation would expand categorical exclusions for the review of forest management projects under NEPA, in order to expedite certain critical response actions. In addition, it would establish an arbitration process pilot program to handle objections to forest management projects, and a State-Supported Forest Management Fund to cover the cost of planning, carrying out, and monitoring certain forest management activities. The bill would also allow for the declaration of a major disaster for wildfires on federal lands.
The following day, Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) introduced S.2068, the Wildfire Prevention and Mitigation Act of 2017, to discourage litigation against the Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) relating to land management projects, and to speed up the permitting process for forest thinning projects aiming to reduce wildfire risks. Unlike the Resilient Federal Forests Act, this legislation does not include a budget fix to end fire borrowing at the Forest Service. On November 16, Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) introduced related legislation titled S.2160, the Protect Collaboration for Healthier Forests Act. This bill includes a regional approach to settle disputes over forest management projects, and sets up a binding arbitration pilot project as an alternative dispute resolution process in lieu of judicial review.
Source: Library of Congress