House passes forest management bill co-authored by Zinke
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a forest management bill partly authored by Rep. Ryan Zinke on Thursday with a bipartisan vote of 262-167.
"We want more scientists and less lawyers in the woods," Zinke, R-Mont., said during floor debate Thursday afternoon. "We have to reward collaboration and working together."
H.R. 2647, the Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2015, would allow the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help fund wildfire expenses so the U.S. Forest Service doesn't have to borrow from other activities, reduces regulatory review of collaborative forest projects and requires legal challengers of those projects to post bonds covering the Forest Service's defense costs. It also would limit the ability of government challengers to get their legal costs repaid if they win.