Denver — U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) joined U.S. Senator Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) and eight Senate colleagues in calling on Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Mich.) and Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) for additional funding to support wildfire recovery on federal lands. In their letter, the senators pressed for additional resources to help National Parks, National Forests, and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands recover from this year’s devastating wildfires. Since damage to federal lands is not covered by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding, federal land agencies are responsible for cleanup and restoration on their own.
“We write to request that any emergency disaster appropriations bills drafted this year include funding for wildfire recovery on federal lands,” wrote Bennet, Gallego, and the senators. “Repairing wildfire damages to National Parks, National Forests, and Bureau of Land Management Lands is vital for the safety and economies of the entire country. Just as our forests and parks require restoration, so too do the surrounding counties and communities that bear the economic and infrastructure impacts of these disasters; their recovery is inseparable from that of the federal lands themselves.”
Nearly one million acres of BLM land burned across the West in 2025 alone. The Lee Fire, Colorado’s fourth-largest wildfire which burned approximately 138,000 acres, and the Elk Fire, which burned approximately 15,000 acres, were devastating for Colorado communities in Rio Blanco County earlier this year. In addition, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona, Joshua Tree National Park in California, the Gila National Forest in New Mexico, and the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Oregon have all had wildfires this year.
“As you know, unlike wildfire response activities on state, tribal, or private lands which are coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), wildfire response on federal land is managed by the land agencies themselves. In the past, Congress has appropriated the funds our public land agencies require for their critical response, remediation, and mitigation activities,” continued the senators. “Ensuring that federal lands are restored after wildfires is a responsibility to our shared, national heritage.”
In September of this year, Bennet joined the Colorado Congressional Delegation to urge President Donald Trump to declare a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration and Public Assistance for Rio Blanco County following the devastating Lee and Elk wildfires. In August, Bennet urged U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to deliver fast, coordinated assistance to Colorado’s livestock producers to help recover from this summer’s wildfires.
In addition to Bennet and Gallego, U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) signed the letter.
The text of the letter is available HERE and below.
Dear Chair Collins and Vice Chair Murray:
We write to request that any emergency disaster appropriations bills drafted this year include funding for wildfire recovery on federal lands. Repairing wildfire damages to National Parks, National Forests, and Bureau of Land Management lands is vital for the safety and economy of the entire country. Just as our forests and parks require restoration, so too do the surrounding counties and communities that bear the economic and infrastructure impacts of these disasters; their recovery is inseparable from that of the federal lands themselves.
Unfortunately, federal lands in each of our states have recently experienced the damaging and widespread effects of wildfire. This year, the Dragon Bravo and White Sage fires devastated over 200,000 acres in the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and the Kaibab National Forest, destroying structures including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado, Joshua Tree National Park in California, the Gila National Forest in New Mexico, and the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area in Oregon have all had wildfires this year as well. Across the West, nearly a million acres of BLM land burned this year alone. While each of these fires has unique response needs, all will require mitigation activities such as removing hazard trees, road and bridge assessment, structural replacements, and trail repairs.
As you know, unlike wildfire response activities on state, tribal, or private lands which are coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), wildfire response on federal land is managed by the land agencies themselves. In the past, Congress has appropriated the funds our public land agencies require for their critical response, remediation, and mitigation activities.
Our nation’s public lands have tremendous intrinsic, economic, and ecological value. Gateway communities rely on the tourism generated by National Parks and other federal lands for economic development and employment opportunities. Many federal lands include sacred tribal sites that must be preserved to uphold federal trust responsibilities. Our watersheds originate in national forests and on public lands – promoting wildfire recovery on these lands helps mitigate water pollution for communities downstream. Ensuring that federal lands are restored after wildfires is a responsibility to our shared, national heritage.
We will continue to work closely with federal land management agencies and local officials in our states to assess specific wildfire reconstruction needs and to identify the most urgent priorities for recovery. We stand ready to provide any additional information or support that the Appropriations Committee may require to ensure that our federal lands, surrounding counties, and gateway communities receive the resources necessary to recover fully and build long-term resilience. Thank you for your consideration of this important request.
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