Last week, the EXPLORE Act was signed into law by the president, including provisions of the bipartisan Treating Tribes and Counties as Good Neighbors Act supported by U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, and Rep. Russ Fulcher, R-Idaho.
“The legislation will extend eligibility for the Forest Service’s Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) for federal forest restoration and management projects to tribes and counties and increase opportunities for cross-boundary restoration,” Gluesenkamp Perez’s office said in a news release.
Gluesenkamp Perez joined her bipartisan colleagues to pass the EXPLORE Act in the House in April, and it passed the Senate in December.
In September 2023, Gluesenkamp Perez spoke on the House floor in support of House passage of the Treating Tribes and Counties as Good Neighbors Act.
In May 2023, the congresswoman spoke at the House Agriculture Committee in support of committee passage of the legislation.
“Ensuring the health and longevity of our national forests for future generations is central to who we are as rural Americans. The Good Neighbor Authority has been critical to that effort and gotten boots on the ground to manage these lands,” said Gluesenkamp Perez. “By getting this bipartisan legislation signed into law, we will build on the success of the Good Neighbor Authority so we can reduce wildfire risk and keep our woods healthy and productive for years to come. Wildfire and natural disasters don’t discriminate between Federal and non-Federal lands, and this legislation will ensure Tribes and counties can receive the full benefits of these agreements.”