CURTIS, BENNET INTRODUCE BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION TO STRENGTHEN EMERGENCY WATERSHED RECOVERY

Bipartisan bills streamline USDA emergency response authority and enhance flexibility for local leaders to respond to natural disasters

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators John Curtis (R-UT) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) today reintroduced the Making Access to Cleanup Happen (MATCH) Act and the Watershed Protection and Forestry Recovery Act—bipartisan legislation that together improve and expedite emergency watershed recovery efforts. Amid increasing frequency and severity of wildfire, floods, and other natural disasters, these bills remove common bureaucratic barriers that delay disaster response and reflect a proactive, locally partnered approach to forest and watershed recovery.

“As Utahns know, the impacts of a wildfire do not end when the fire is put out. Without swift action to rehabilitate and restore the land, it is left vulnerable to further damage,” said Senator Curtis. “Right now, unnecessary bureaucratic red tape and other barriers are holding back cleanup activities and watershed protection efforts. Our bills empower local communities to protect our natural resources and streamline certain rehabilitation activities in the aftermath of a disaster—while saving local funds and taxpayer dollars.”

“Colorado and the West face increasingly severe natural disasters, including some of the most catastrophic wildfires on record in just the past few years,” said Senator Bennet. “These common-sense bills will cut red tape and help ensure our communities, local water managers, and the U.S. Forest Service have everything they need to meet these challenges head-on and recover when disaster strikes.” 

Making Access to Cleanup Happen (MATCH) Act

The MATCH Act removes a common bureaucratic obstacle that delays local disaster response, empowering states, tribes, and local governments to initiate emergency watershed protection measures immediately after an event—even before a formal federal agreement is signed. The bill reflects Senator Curtis’s commitment to combining federal support with local initiative, particularly in disaster-prone areas of the American West.

Specifically, the MATCH Act would:

• Require the Secretary of Agriculture to publish a list of approved emergency watershed protection measures that state or local governments and tribes can begin before entering into a formal agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
• Create a process for local and tribal sponsors to request approval for additional pre-agreement actions in response to a specific natural disaster. This ensures flexibility for varying conditions on the ground and gives states a say in tailoring response efforts to local needs.
• Ensure any eligible costs incurred by a sponsor for pre-approved emergency work will be credited toward the sponsor’s cost-share requirement.

The full text of the bill can be found here.

Watershed Protection and Forestry Recovery Act

The Watershed Protection and Forestry Recovery Act would create a new Emergency Forest Watershed Program at USDA dedicated to watershed recovery on U.S. Forest Service (USFS) lands. This new program will target funding to restore natural resources on National Forest System land and protect life, private property, and water resources downstream of federal forests.

Specifically, the Watershed Protection and Forestry Recovery Act would:

• Create the Emergency Forest Watershed Program and authorize watershed recovery protection measures to protect downstream private property and water resources following natural disasters on USFS lands;
• Allow tribes, states, local governments, and water providers to enter into agreements with USFS to implement watershed recovery protection measures;
• Speed up project timelines and require recovery project to be completed within two years after the conclusion of a natural disaster; and
• Fully fund projects on federal lands by waiving matching requirements.

Background: Following devastating wildfires across the American West, water providers have encountered bureaucratic obstacles that limit their ability to protect the drinking water supply for communities downstream from the fire. Because the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Emergency Watershed Program (EWP) was designed to help non-federal lands recover and the USFS Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Program focuses on the protection of Federal assets, drinking water supplies for communities downstream of National Forests are left at risk after a natural disaster. The Watershed Protection and Forest Recovery Act is designed to fill this gap.

The full text of the bill can be found here.