Heinrich To Call For Wildfire Funding Reform And Improvements To Forest Management In Key Committee Hearing

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) will participate in a Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing tomorrow, Thursday, June 23, at approximately 10 a.m. ET/8 a.m. MT to receive testimony on a discussion draft entitled Wildfire Budgeting, Response and Forest Management Act of 2016.

The hearing comes as New Mexico continues to fight the Dog Head Fire in Bernalillo and Torrance Counties.

Senator Heinrich is a cosponsor of S.235, the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act of 2015, which would treat the largest fires -- roughly 1 percent of annual fires -- as natural disasters and fund firefighting efforts from a disaster account similar to the one that funds hurricane and other natural disaster relief efforts. Senator Heinrich is also the lead sponsor of S.1780, the Restoring America's Watersheds Act, a bill he introduced to improve the health and resiliency of watersheds in national forests. The legislation would prioritize fire-impacted watersheds and encourage partnerships with non-federal stakeholders to invest in forests that provide important water resources.

WHO:  U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.)
WHAT:  U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing to discuss a draft of the Wildfire Budgeting, Response and Forest Management Act of 2016
WHEN:  Tomorrow, Thursday, June 23, at approximately 10 a.m. ET/8 a.m. MT
WHERE:  366 Dirksen Senate Office Building and via live stream. 

The hearing will be webcast live on the committee's website, and an archived video will be available shortly after the hearing is complete. Witness testimony will be available on the website at the start of the hearing.