An Arizona congressman included language to expedite White Sage Fire recovery in the Farm Bill that has passed the U.S. House.
The provision was included in an amendment sponsored by Arizona Republican Rep. Eli Crane.
It would grant the U.S. Forest Service emergency contracting authority to help expedite recovery efforts. The White Sage Fire burned close to 60,000 acres in northern Arizona last year.
The measure is modeled after legislation passed by the House in March to speed up restoration projects following the Dragon Bravo Fire, which burned on the Grand Canyon’s North Rim last summer.
The U.S. Senate still needs to vote on both bills.
More Arizona Wildfires News
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The risk of human-caused wildfire is high due to hot and dry conditions. Certain activities are now restricted within state trust lands in Gila, Maricopa and Pinal counties, as well as the Tonto National Forest. -
"Suppression is always going to be there," Chief Brian Fennessy told the Mountain West News Bureau. "But we're not going to suppress our way out of this situation." -
A new analysis of public federal workforce data shows about 5,800 fewer workers at public lands agencies in 2025 compared to the year before. -
Arizona Public Service has nearly 40 active AI smoke-detection cameras and plans to have 71 by summer's end, and the state’s fire agency has deployed seven of its own. -
Smoke from the fire near Buckeye has blown into the rest of the Valley since it started burning Saturday.
