Many, many thanks to Marc Heller of E&E News for wading through the tedious verbiage (but necessary, I get it) in the House Approps report..
There seems to be a notable lack of enthusiasm by House Approps. They want GAO to take a look before anyone leaps, and the report gives specific concerns to be addressed. These concerns seem pretty much in line with what folks I know have raised. The below is from page 12 of this document. I’m sure there are other interesting things in there if anyone has read it or wants to.
Here’s the point of the report.
The Committee on Appropriations submits the following report in explanation of the accompanying bill making appropriations for the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026.
Reorganization Proposals—Wildland Fire Management.—The Committee appreciates the Administration’s goal of reducing waste and improving efficiency across Federal agencies. The Committee supports the Administration’s efforts to improve forest health, enhance wildfire resilience, and strengthen the capacity of the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the U.S. Forest Service (Forest Service) to manage land and fight wildfires. The Committee acknowledges the importance of investing in sustainable land management practices, particularly in increasing timber production, reducing hazardous fuels, and ensuring a robust and stable Federal firefighting workforce.
While the Committee is supportive of these objectives, changes in budgetary and management structure spark concerns about impacted agencies’ abilities to consistently meet critical performance benchmarks. Specifically, the Committee notes ongoing challenges
in achieving timber volume targets, meeting hazardous fuels reduction goals, and maintaining use of an adequately staffed and red
card-certified workforce necessary for wildfire response. The Committee is also concerned about how restructuring would influence
the fundamental purpose of the Forest Service, shifting from a commodity focus to conservation.To ensure these goals are met and that funding is utilized most effectively, prior to the transfer of any resources or authorities, the
Committee directs the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a study regarding the proposed creation of a consolidated Fire Service within DOI that assesses the impacts on reaching proposed timber targets, continued cohesion between wildland fire management and the hazardous fuels reduction program, continued use of the available red card-certified workforce, and how this new consolidated Service differs from the role the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) already plays to coordinate fire response. Additionally, the study should evaluate the extent to which states, localities, and Tribes were consulted regarding plans for the creation of this new Fire Service and consider what impact this transfer may have on these critical stakeholders.
Not later than 180 days following the enactment of this Act, the Committee directs GAO to report its findings to the Committee, including detailed recommendations for improving performance and addressing any identified deficiencies with the proposal. The Committee further directs DOI and the Forest Service to provide a comprehensive response to GAO’s findings and consider these findings when evaluating future actions and resources related to wildland fire management.
The Committee emphasizes that continued support for this initiative is contingent upon demonstrable progress toward meeting
these performance benchmarks, with clear, measurable outcomes
As usual, the Government Bureaucrats study and study, while the West burns!
Looks like the bill left the committee without specifying creation of USWFS.
https://docs.house.gov/meetings/AP/AP00/20250722/118542/BILLS-119-FC-AP-FY2026-AP00-FY26InteriorFullCommitteeMark.pdf
“The Committee is also concerned about how restructuring would influence
the fundamental purpose of the Forest Service, shifting from a commodity focus to conservation.”
In case anyone wondered what Republicans think the fundamental purpose of the Forest Service is. I guess they’ve still got some web pages to overwrite:
“What is the Forest Service mission?
The mission of the Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.”
“What does the Forest Service do?
We help people share and enjoy the forest, while CONSERVING the environment for generations to come. Some activities are compatible. Some are not.”
https://www.fs.usda.gov/about-agency/meet-forest-service
“Motto: Caring for the Land and Serving People
The phrase, “Caring for the Land and Serving People,” captures the Forest Service mission. As set forth in law, the mission is to achieve quality land management under the sustainable multiple-use management concept to meet the diverse needs of people: It includes:
Advocating a CONSERVATION ethic in promoting the health, productivity, diversity, and beauty of forests and associated lands.”
https://www.fs.usda.gov/about-agency/what-we-believe
See also: https://pinchot.org/
(Or did I read this wrong, and they WANT to shift the purpose from commodity production to conservation?)
Today’s ‘newspeak’ now says that “conservation” includes cutting valuable large timber BEFORE it burns. The assumption is that those resources are ‘wasted’ when they burn. Actually, despite constant Republican claims, that burned timber would not be ‘wasted’, and salvaged, instead. Those days of Chad Hanson blocking salvage projects are long gone, but conservatives still cling to the misinformation about forest management issues. Congress also parrots those lies, despite having full access to the timber volume data.