The House approved legislation Wednesday that could update technology used to fight wildfires from the sky.
H.R. 836, the “Emergency Wildfire Fighting Technology Act,” advanced by voice vote. The bipartisan bill from Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.) would require the Interior Department study updated aerial firefighting systems.
“These systems are used by other countries, but the United States has not utilized them. We have the technology that we can deploy to stop or minimize the devastation these fires cause, and we should be using it,” Valadao said during floor debate.
The text of Valadao’s bill was part of House Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman’s (R-Ark.) “Fix Our Forests Act,” H.R. 471, an extensive forest management package that passed the House in January. Westerman said advancing the wildfire technology bill on its own could help it become law.