Nevada senator reintroduces legislation to combat, prevent wildfires

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto reintroduced legislation aiming to combat and prevent wildfires Tuesday as a series of catastrophic wildfires continued to burn in Southern California.

The Western Wildfire Support Act — introduced alongside Republican Montana Sen. Tim Sheehy — would authorize funding for firefighting equipment, create new training programs for firefighters and support recovery efforts in landscapes impacted by wildfires.

“Right now, well outside normal fire season, wildfires are devastating the West,” Cortez Masto, D-Nev., said in a statement Tuesday. “The destruction in Southern California is part of a pattern of increasingly dangerous, costly fires, and it’s clear we urgently need more support preventing and combating these blazes.”

The bill includes provisions aiming to increase preparation, suppression and recovery when it comes to wildfires.

To increase preparation for wildfires, the legislation would direct the Department of Defense to enter into reciprocal agreements for mutual aid in fire suppression services, and it directs the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to update fire management plans for federal land across the country, according to a summary of the bill provided by Cortez Masto’s office. It also requires a study to be conducted to identify gaps in training for structural firefighters in high wildfire risk areas.

The bill also has provisions aiming to better suppress wildfires. It would direct the Interior Department and the USDA to expedite the permitting and placement of wildfire detection equipment, such as heat sensors and cameras, and expand the use of satellite data to improve detection and response, according to a summary of the bill. Both the Interior Department and the USDA would have to provide an annual forum with wildland fire managers to assess the development of new technology to adapt to the changing nature of wildfires.

Cortez Masto’s legislation also would expand eligibility to include Native American tribes for financial help for acquiring firefighting engines under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and it would commission a study to assess any deficiencies and improvements necessary for wildfire responses.

From a recovery standpoint, the Western Wildfire Support Act proposes authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to create online resource guides to help communities impacted by wildfires and to support post-disaster aid. It also authorizes $100 million in funding for impacted communities and establishes a competition to combat the spread of wildfire-related invasive species.

Nevada’s senior senator first introduced the legislation in 2021, and it passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in November.

In Nevada over the past 20 years, wildfires have burned more than 8.8 million acres. The Davis Fire last year south of Reno burned nearly 6,000 acres in Washoe County, according to Cortez Masto’s office.

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.