Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry’s Subcommittee on Conservation, Forestry, Natural Resources, and Biotechnology, and John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Chair of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee and a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, alongside U.S. Representatives Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.), and Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.), introduced the Joint Chiefs Reauthorization Act. This bipartisan legislation would reauthorize the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership Initiative (Joint Chiefs), initially codified in 2021 as an amendment to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and expand the program to better support forest and grassland restoration projects across public and private land.
“Our Western forests, grasslands, and watersheds are as important to our economy as the Lincoln Tunnel is to New York — but they are under threat from a changing climate and consistent federal underinvestment,” said Bennet. “The Joint Chiefs program continues to be a model of voluntary, collaborative efforts to improve the resilience of our landscapes across both public and private lands. This legislation builds on years of engagement and broad bipartisan support to ensure the Joint Chiefs Partnership can continue to restore landscapes, protect water supplies, and reduce wildfire risks for future generations.”
“The Joint Chiefs program recognizes that ag producers know their land and water the best, promoting voluntary partnerships with private landowners and better collaboration between the U.S. Forest Service and NRCS,” said Hoeven. “Our legislation reauthorizes the Joint Chiefs program to give certainty for important projects in North Dakota that will improve the health of our grasslands, help reduce the threat of wildfires and assist with wildfire recovery.”
“Western and Northern Colorado are all too familiar with the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires, including the devastating Cameron Peak, East Troublesome, and Marshall Fires,” said Neguse. “I am proud to again partner with Senator Michael Bennet to strengthen the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership Program, which has improved wildfire mitigation, watershed health, and forest resiliency across hundreds of thousands of acres of land across the country through critical partnerships with state, tribal, and local partners. I look forward to working to get this bill across the finish line.”
“I’m pleased to partner with my colleague Rep. Joe Neguse in the reintroduction of the Joint Chiefs Landscape Restoration Partnership Program. This bipartisan legislation will reauthorize an initiative to better support forest and grassland restoration projects across public and private lands,” said Ciscomani. “It will help reduce the risk of life-threatening wildfires, protect our valuable watersheds and ensure the continuation of critical collaborative efforts between public and private landowners and users.”
“In Oregon, we’ve seen firsthand how climate-driven wildfires, drought, and degraded watersheds threaten our forests, farms, and communities,” said Salinas. “The Joint Chiefs program has a proven track record of facilitating partnerships that improve ecosystem resilience, and it is critical Congress provides it full funding to continue supporting the people of Oregon and across the country.”
In 2014, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched the Joint Chiefs to support forest and grassland restoration projects across public and private land. Over the last eleven years, the initiative has invested $423 million in 134 projects in 42 states, Guam, and Puerto Rico to help reduce wildfire threats to communities, protect water quality and supply, and improve wildlife habitat for at-risk species. In 2021, Bennet, Hoeven, Neguse, and former North Dakota Representative Armstrong introduced the Joint Chiefs Landscape Restoration Partnership Act of 2021 to formally authorize the Initiative, which Bennet and Hoeven secured as an amendment to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In 2023, Bennet, Hoeven, Neguse, Armstrong, and Salinas introduced the Joint Chiefs Reauthorization Act of 2023.
The Joint Chiefs Reauthorization Act of 2025 would extend appropriations for the program, expand activities to address wildfire recovery and natural resource concerns across boundaries, and improve agency coordination and outreach.
Specifically, the Joint Chiefs Reauthorization Act will:
- Reauthorize the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership between the Chief of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to improve the health and resilience of forest landscapes and grasslands across federal and non-federal land;
- Support voluntary activities and projects across public and private land that reduce wildfire risk, protect water supplies, recover from wildfires, enhance soil and water resources, or improve wildlife habitat for at-risk species;
- Prioritize projects that reduce wildfire risk in municipal watersheds or the wildland-urban interface, are developed through a collaborative process, or increase forest business and workforce opportunities;
- Require the USDA to perform outreach, provide public notice, and make information on the program available to landowners, tribes, states, and local governments;
- Improve accountability by requiring a review of program delivery, data, and outcomes, and establishing annual reporting requirements to Congress; and
- Authorize $90 million annually for the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership, to be split between the USFS (at least 40%) and the NRCS (at least 40%). The remaining funds may also be used for technical assistance, project development, or local capacity.
“At Colorado Springs Utilities, we understand that protecting our forested landscapes is essential to ensuring a clean, reliable water supply,” said Travas Deal, Chief Executive Officer of Colorado Springs Utilities. “The Joint Chiefs Landscape Restoration Program enables us to mitigate wildfire risk, safeguard critical infrastructure, and care for the wild lands entrusted to us—both for today and for future generations. We thank Senator Bennet for supporting the reauthorization of this vital program.”
“Senator Bennet’s exceptional leadership and advocacy for this important program is greatly appreciated,” said Jim Ramey, Colorado State Director, The Wilderness Society. “The Joint Chiefs Landscape Restoration Partnership helps keep communities safe from wildfire threats while restoring the overall health of our forests. In order to address the negative impacts of a rapidly warming planet, we must take swift action guided by the best available science. By prioritizing the well-being of our forests in these partnerships, forest managers can work to restore the natural balance of fire to the landscape.”
“Colorado’s forests face myriad challenges that require an all-hands approach,” said Matt McCombs, Colorado State Forester. “The Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership program is a critical tool that brings together federal agencies, states, tribes and communities as equal partners in conserving one of Colorado’s most important resources, our forests. I applaud Senator Bennet for bringing this bill forward to improve and reauthorize the Joint Chief’s program and for his continued leadership in promoting a collaborative approach to facing down the wildfire crisis here in Colorado and across the west.”
“The Forest Stewards Guild strongly supports cross-boundary collaboration to care for forests, streams, and communities,” said Zander Evans, Executive Director, Forest Stewards Guild. “The Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership is a great example of facilitating collaborative stewardship where we need it most.”
This legislation is also supported by the National Association of State Foresters.
The text of the bill is available HERE. A summary of the bill is available HERE.
###