WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Reps. Tom O’Halleran, D-Ariz., and John Curtis, R-Utah, introduced Thursday the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission Act of 2021.
“It’s a bill to establish a commission of federal and non-federal stakeholders,” O’Halleran told Gila Valley Central. “That will include city- and county-level representatives, to study and recommend fire prevention. It doesn’t do us all any good sitting in Washington, D.C., and not having the local people who are impacted the most not at the table.”
Inciweb, the incident information system, is reporting 26 wildland fires in Arizona as of Friday, with more than one dozen in O’Halleran’s district.
In announcing the bill, O’Halleran said it would “require a review of the nation’s wildland firefighting strategy, accompanied by specific policy recommendations, by a commission made up of the nation’s top experts, including state and local stakeholders.”
Senators Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., introduced companion legislation in the Senate last week.
On Monday, June 28, O’Halleran will host a wildfire-focused tele-town hall event.
