Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Matt Rosendale’s (MT-02) Forest Information Reform (FIR) Act passed the House Committee on Natural Resources as part of Chairman Bruce Westerman’s (AR-04) Fix Our Forests Act. The FIR Act provides a critical legislative fix to the United States Forest Service v. Cottonwood Environmental Law Center decision that created an overly burdensome regulatory process for building important infrastructure and initiating resource management projects on federal lands. The Cottonwood fix will amend federal requirements to exempt the U.S. Forest Service from re-consulting with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on new Endangered Species Act information, ending unnecessary delays.

“After eight years of increasingly severe wildfires and preventable habitat destruction in Montana due to the Cottonwood decision, the Treasure State is finally one step closer to being able to manage our own land,” said Rep. Rosendale. “The FIR Act reverses the disastrous Cottonwood decision and ends the perpetual litigation that prohibits proper forest supervision. I appreciate Chairman Westerman’s continued leadership and support on this issue of vital importance to the people of Montana.”