[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 44 (Thursday, April 14, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S3683]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. CRAIG (for himself, Mr. Crapo, and Mr. Smith):
  S. 807. A bill to amend the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 
1976 to provide owners of non-Federal lands with a reliable method of 
receiving compensation for damages resulting from the spread of 
wildfire from nearby forested National Forest System lands or Bureau of 
Land Management lands, when those forested Federal lands are not 
maintained in the forest health status known as condition class 1; to 
the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Enhanced 
Safety from Wildfire Act of 2005. I am joined by my colleagues Mr. 
Crapo and Mr. Smith.
  The legislation we are introducing would amend the Federal Land 
Policy and Management Act of 1976 to make it possible for non-federal 
land owners to receive compensation for a loss of property as a result 
of wildfire spreading from Federal land that has not been managed as 
Condition Class 1.
  As we all know, in recent years, there has been a significant amount 
of injury and loss of property resulting from the spread of wildfire 
from Federal forested lands to non-Federal lands. Recent wildfires on 
federal forested lands have shown that lands managed under approved 
forest health management practices are less susceptible to wildfire, or 
are subjected to less severe wildfire, than similarly forested lands 
that are not actively managed.
  There is a continuing and growing threat to the safety of 
communities, individuals, homes and other property, and timber on non-
Federal lands that adjoin Federal forested lands because of the 
unnatural accumulation of forest fuels on these Federal lands and the 
lack of active Federal management of these lands.
  The use of approved forest health management practices to create 
forest fire ``buffer zones'' between forested Federal lands and 
adjacent non-Federal lands would reduce the occurrence of wildfires on 
forested federal lands or, at least, limit their spread to non-Federal 
lands and the severity of the resulting damage.
  This legislation requires the agencies to manage a ``buffer zone'' on 
Federal land, greater than 6,400 acres, that is adjacent to non-Federal 
land. When forested Federal lands adjacent to non-Federal lands are not 
adequately managed with a ``buffer zone'' and wildfire occurs, the 
legislation states the owners of the non-Federal lands are eligible for 
compensation for damages resulting from the spread of wildfire to their 
lands. The legislation sets minimum criteria for non-Federal land to be 
eligible for compensation.
  Our federal land management agencies need to take responsibility for 
the impacts that occur on non-Federal land as a result of a lack of 
management on federal land. As a society, we have come to expect that 
our neighbors take responsibility for their actions and I feel the 
federal land management agencies should not escape this responsibility 
either.
  In the next few weeks, the weather will heat up, the drought ridden 
West will become drier, wildfire danger will rise, and I fear we will 
once again hear reports regarding the loss of property.
  I know this legislation may not be the answer to solving our Federal 
land management problems and I am willing to discuss other options, but 
I know that until we address the heart of this issue, homes, private 
land, and communities will continue to be at risk because of poor 
Federal land management. Being a good neighbor means being responsible 
for your actions.
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