Generally, I think that wildfire has done pretty well at not getting partisanized. I do think that any future partisanization that occurs will just obfuscate the policy and organizational choices..in the fog of saber-rattling, fear-mongering and other political theatrics. So let’s help them not go there.
Anyway, here’s the link to the EO.
Section 1. Purpose. The devastation of the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires shocked the American people and highlighted the catastrophic consequences when State and local governments are unable to quickly respond to such disasters. In too many cases, including in California, a slow and inadequate response to wildfires is a direct result of reckless mismanagement and lack of preparedness. Wildfires threaten every region, yet many local government entities continue to disregard commonsense preventative measures. Firefighters across the country are forced to rely on outdated technology and face challenges in quickly responding to wildfires because of unnecessary regulation and bureaucracy. The Federal Government can empower State and local leaders by streamlining Federal wildfire capabilities to improve their effectiveness and promoting commonsense, technology-enabled local strategies for land management and wildfire response and mitigation.
Some have thought that this is dissing local fire people. To me it’s just partisan blather. Certainly the Feds reducing unnecessary regulations and bureaucracy and streamlining Federal wildfire capabilities would be helpful, as would giving them more funding.
Sec. 2. Streamlining Federal Wildland Fire Governance. Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture shall, to the maximum degree practicable and consistent with applicable law, consolidate their wildland fire programs to achieve the most efficient and effective use of wildland fire offices, coordinating bodies, programs, budgets, procurement processes, and research and, as necessary, recommend additional measures to advance this objective.
Senator Merkley reads this as:
“Instead of focusing on preparing for fire season and directing all energy to actively respond to wildland fires on the ground—like the Rowena Fire in Oregon—President Trump is telling the agencies responsible for keeping us safe to instead make it their top priority to move ahead with a hasty, poorly planned reorganization of their agencies. Congress has not authorized or provided funding for this consolidation and telling the agencies to do this in 90 days, at the height of summer fires, is literally playing with fire that will only burn our communities.”
I would, instead, interpret the EO as a tabletop exercise by people not directly involved in firefighting. I don’t see calling people off the fireline to work on procurement processes.
In fact, rumor has it that the current effort is more like Service First and less like “move to Interior.”
I liked Marc Heller’s take..”The executive order calls for consolidating efforts, without directly telling officials to shift wildfire management to a new agency,” and “Trump’s watered-down wildfire order skirts fight with Congress.” Because the EO does say “consistent with applicable law.”
But maybe Merkley read something different?:” The Trump Administration is once again acting with a blatant disregard for the law and constitutional separation of powers. ”
Sec. 3. Encouraging Local Wildfire Preparedness and Response. (a) Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall:
(i) expand and strengthen the use of partnerships, agreements, compacts, and mutual aid capabilities that empower Federal, State, local, tribal, and community-driven land management that reduces wildfire risk and improves wildfire response, including on public lands; and
(ii) develop and expand the use of other measures to incentivize responsible land management and wildfire prevention, mitigation, and response measures at the State and local levels.
(b) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce and the heads of executive departments and agencies (agencies) represented at the National Interagency Fire Center, shall:
(i) develop a comprehensive technology roadmap, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), to increase wildfire firefighting capabilities at the State and local levels, including through artificial intelligence, data sharing, innovative modeling and mapping capabilities, and technology to identify wildland fire ignitions and weather forecasts to inform response and evacuation; and
(ii) promote the use of a risk-informed approach, as consistent with Executive Order 14239 of March 18, 2025 (Achieving Efficiency Through State and Local Preparedness), to develop new policies that remove barriers to preventing and responding to wildfires, including through year-round response readiness, better forest health, and activities outlined in Executive Order 14225 of March 1, 2025 (Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production).
Those all seem useful.
Sec. 4. Strengthening Wildfire Mitigation. Within 90 days of the date of this order:
(a) The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall consider modifying or rescinding, as consistent with applicable law, Federal rules or policies that impede the use of appropriate, preventative prescribed fires.
(b) The Secretary of Agriculture and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior, shall consider modifying or rescinding, as consistent with applicable law, Federal rules or policies hindering the appropriate use of fire retardant to fight wildfires.
(c) The Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior, shall consider promoting, assisting, and facilitating, as consistent with applicable law, innovative uses of woody biomass and forest products to reduce fuel loads in areas at risk of wildfires.
(d) The Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Energy, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission shall consider initiating rulemaking proceedings to establish, as consistent with applicable law, best practices to reduce the risk of wildfire ignition from the bulk-power system without increasing costs for electric-power end users, including through methods such as vegetation management, the removal of forest-hazardous fuels along transmission lines, improved engineering approaches, and safer operational practices.
(e) The Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior, shall review pending and proposed wildfire-related litigation involving electrical utility companies to ensure the Department’s positions and proposed resolutions in such matters advance the wildfire prevention and mitigation efforts identified in this order.
I see something like (hey EPA let’s relook at PM2.5 and fire retardant); I don’t find it particularly surprising. Innovative uses of biomass.. sigh. If only more words would help.. I like the idea of departments working together, so I like getting Interior, Ag, Energy and FERC on the same page. It also seems to make sense that we would pay attention to lawsuits and what they have to tell us.
Sec. 5. Modernizing Wildfire Prevention and Response.
(a) Within 120 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Director of OSTP, the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, and the heads of relevant agencies, shall, as appropriate, identify, declassify, and make publicly available historical satellite datasets that will advance wildfire prevention and response and improve wildfire prediction and evaluation models.
(b) Within 180 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce and the heads of agencies represented at the National Interagency Fire Center, shall:
(i) Identify rules that impede wildfire prevention, detection, or response and consider eliminating or revising those rules, as consistent with applicable law. This consideration and any resulting rulemaking proceedings shall be reflected in the Fall 2025 Unified Regulatory Agenda.
(ii) Develop performance metrics for wildfire response, including metrics related to average response times, annual fuels treatments, safety and cost effectiveness, and other subjects, as appropriate for inclusion in strategic and annual performance plans.
(c) Within 210 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Defense shall evaluate and, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, prioritize the sale of excess aircraft and aircraft parts to support wildfire mitigation and response.
Speaking of Holy Grails (biomass), performance metrics for annual fuels treatments.. yup. I didn’t know that there was an issue with historical satellite datasets.
So that’s basically it. Hey you all, work together better. And fix those problems we identified even the ones we’ve been working on for decades. Plus get some consistent performance measures going.
Allow me to be brief:
I am not a big fan of running the United States of America through Executive Orders (EO). It simply attempts to circumvent what the Founding Fathers tried so hard to deploy and sustain. That is, three branches of government to ensure a proper “checks and balances.” I think we call this Democracy.
The EO on “Wildfire” is mind numbing for two fundamental reasons. The is no “horizon point” to achieve and it should be unthinkable to do all the “90 and 180 day” tasks NOW. The 2025 fire season is upon us. In my view, the last thing we need right NOW is pulling away what skills are left chasing an EO. Come on, let’s get real.
Why not wait until the 2025 fire season is over. We need people to concentrate. In my view, I bet the people who wrote this EO have no wildfire control experience at all. If they did, my plea of please do not distract the “available skill set” when the fires are roaring, would be self-evident.
I propose we do one basic thing for NOW. Amend to 2025 Forest Service Chief’s Annual Letter of Intent (LOI) for Wildfires to say, “we will strive to put out all wildfires immediately with a strong Initial Attack; no exceptions.” Be crystal clear. Last year, about 3 million acres were burned that did not have to burn because we thought “watching” the wildfire was more prudent than “First, Put Out the Fire.” This would be huge! The LOI is a basic tool that has the potential to save thousands of lives.
Again, please do not chase a potpurrí of words called a “Wildfire EO” at this point in time. Come on, we are better than this. Right? Yes, we are. Then let’s act like it.
Very respectfully,
So Michael, are you against the ideas in the EO or just the timing?
Personally, I think that safety issues are often confused with “Let Burn” stories. I’m sure that Forest Service firefighters would have some issues with being ‘ordered’ to do direct fireline construction on dangerous running wildfires. Accusing them of ‘wussing-out’ is not a constructive idea.
I think it is interesting that the proposal in the 2026 budget and EO to move A&FM out of the five land management agencies into a new National Wildfire Agency has generated so few comments here on the Smokey Wire. This move would make changes to the USFS staffing, budget, and mission which hasn’t happened since 1910. Surprised that their are not two groups – one who think it is the neatest thing since night baseball and another who thin it rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Mike, I don’t know why but I’ll post and see if we get more ideas and discussion. I have heard from the two groups you mentioned as well as a group that says it’s forcing BLM and FS land onto the Titanic!