Central Wisconsin News

Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Congressman Tom Tiffany's bill, H.R. 204, known as the Accurately Counting Risk Elimination Solutions (ACRES) Act, through a voice vote. This legislation mandates that the Secretaries of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of the Interior (DOI) produce an annual report on hazardous fuel reduction based on actual treated acres.

Reports have revealed that agencies like the U.S. Forest Service have been exaggerating their fuel reduction efforts for years. The ACRES Act aims to hold federal land management agencies accountable by ensuring transparency in their wildfire fuel reduction activities.

Congressman Tom Tiffany stated, "For far too long, Americans have suffered the devastating impacts of wildfires, often exacerbated by poor forest management. It's time for a proactive approach to managing our public lands. The ACRES Act accomplishes this by mandating accurate reporting on the acres federal land managers are treating."

Bruce Westerman, Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, expressed support for Tiffany's initiative: "As the chairman of the Subcommittee on Federal Lands, Congressman Tiffany knows a thing or two about federal lands issues and the need for more transparency and accountability from our federal land management agencies."

Western Caucus Chairman Doug LaMalfa emphasized past inadequacies in forest management: "Due to inadequate forest management, catastrophic wildfires have ravaged the West... Rep. Tiffany’s ACRES Act will provide the accountability Americans deserve from these agencies and ensure more actions are taken to prevent devastating fires."

Bill Imbergamo, Executive Director of the Federal Forest Resource Coalition, highlighted public entitlement to transparency: "This bill will give the American people a more accurate accounting of how much progress Federal land managers are making in addressing our wildfire crisis."

The ACRES Act requires detailed reports on hazardous fuel reduction activities and methods used by USDA and DOI secretaries. It also calls for standardized procedures for tracking data accuracy and effectiveness regarding wildfire risk reduction.

The bill now moves to await action in the U.S. Senate.