In bipartisan vote, House approves forestry bill opposed by Biden

In a bipartisan vote, the House approved a forestry bill opposed by the Biden administration. 

The vote was 268-151. Fifty-five Democrats voted with Republicans in favor of the bill. 

The legislation seeks to exempt projects like cutting down trees in an effort to prevent wildfires from environmental reviews. 

Proponents of the bill say it will help fight wildfires and improve forest management. 

“America’s forests are on life support after decades of mismanagement,” said Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) in a written statement. “The clock on these ticking time bombs is down to the final few seconds, and Congress must move swiftly to save our forests from imminent destruction.”

Opponents, including  major environmental advocacy groups, say the legislation would undercut key environmental protections and could lead to more logging, 

A statement on the bill from the White House said that the legislation “contains a number of provisions that would undermine basic protections for communities, lands, waters, and wildlife; reduce opportunities for public input; and heighten the likelihood for conflict, litigation, and delay on needed forest restoration and resilience work. “

While the White House said that it “strongly opposes” the legislation,  it stopped short of an explicit veto threat. The bill is unlikely to become law.