Insurance industry trades praised a Senate committee for the passage this week of the Fix Our Forests Act, a measure to address high-risk wildfire regions.
“The risk of wildfire can no longer be ignored or underestimated. We need action to start addressing it, and the Fix Our Forests Act is a vital step in doing so,” said Jimi Grande, senior vice president of federal and political affairs for the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC).
The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry passed the bill (S. 1462) on Oct. 21. Now NAMIC and the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA), among others who have lobbied for the legislation, urge the full Senate to consider it soon.
“This is a critical step toward addressing the nation’s escalating wildfire crisis and the growing insurance challenges facing communities in fire-prone regions,” said Sam Whitfield, APCIA’s senior vice president of federal government relations and political management. “We urge the full Senate to swiftly consider and pass the Fix Our Forests Act, ensuring that communities across the country are better equipped to prevent, respond to, and recover from devastating fires.”
NAMIC said the bill prioritizes treatment of forests at the highest risk of wildfire and coordinates grant programs for community mitigation efforts. It also promotes research on wildfire resilience and land management, and supports the adoption of fire-resistant building methods, codes, and standards.
“Over recent years, we’ve witnessed substantial growth of the wildland urban interface, where homes face escalating risks of devastating fire and the potential losses they can inflict,” Grande said. “The science is clear, and we know how to effectively manage our forests to reduce the damage from wildfires. We simply need our federally elected officials to stand up to powerful special interests and do the right thing to protect life and property from future harm. Our federal forest management and mitigation policies need to keep up with the science.”
Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire
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