A new wildfire caucus in the Senate might help resolve a long-simmering dispute over protecting endangered species and federal land management, Sen. Steve Daines said Tuesday.
Daines, a Montana Republican, told reporters Tuesday he thinks the caucus, which met last Thursday for the first time, could help give a final push to legislation undoing a 2015 federal court case that’s forced the Forest Service to make additional consultations with the Fish and Wildlife Service on endangered species.
The caucus, which Daines co-chairs with Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), focused its first get-together on the findings of a federal wildfire commission that made dozens of recommendations on fire preparedness and forest management, although the commission didn’t delve into the endangered species matter.
In a news release, Daines said he hopes the caucus can “find common-sense solutions that will help prevent fires, protect our wildlife and keep our communities safe,” without mentioning the Endangered Species Act decision in Cottonwood Environmental Law Center v. Forest Service, in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
