Press Release 6.17.26.docx

Full text of the bill is available here.

Full bill summary is available here.

Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and John Curtis (R-Utah), members of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, introduced the FIRE SMART Act, bipartisan legislation to expand funding eligibility for projects with fire suppression benefits in high-risk rural areas. Senators Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) also cosponsored the bill.  Providing local flexibility to identify priorities while not authorizing or increasing new spending,  the legislation seeks to improve water infrastructure for fighting wildfires in rural communities. The bill would direct EPA to amend the DWSRF rules that currently exclude “Projects needed primarily for fire protection.”   Allowing for more local flexibility, the Act focusses on projects that:

1. Have both drinking water and wildfire suppression benefits;
2. Are located in a community at high risk for fire or wildfire as evidenced by a State wildfire hazard map or a map generated pursuant to section 210(a) of division O of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (16 U.S.C. 6501 - Public Law 115–141); and
3. Are in a rural area with a population of 50,000 or less per the farm bill definition at 7 USC 1991.

“The National Special Districts Association strongly supports the FIRE SMART Act to strengthen water infrastructure in communities at high risk of wildfire. With thousands of special districts nationwide providing fire protection and drinking water services, federal investments in water infrastructure—including projects that support fire suppression—are critical to ensuring community safety and resilience.", noted Ann Terry,  President, NSDA. " By providing targeted flexibility within the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), this legislation will help local agencies, particularly in rural and high-risk areas, invest in projects that deliver both safe drinking water and reliable fire suppression capacity. NSDA looks forward to working with Congress to advance this practical, locally driven approach to protecting lives, property, and essential water systems.”