A resolution recognizing that climate change is making wildfires more frequent, more intense, and more destructive.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Whitehouse (for himself, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Schatz, …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This is a non-binding Senate Resolution that formally recognizes climate change is making wildfires more frequent, more intense, and more destructive across the United States. It calls on Congress to fully fund and staff federal wildfire prevention and response activities. The resolution cites scientific findings from NASA, the Forest Service, and USGS to support its position.
Who Benefits and How
Federal wildfire agencies and firefighters would benefit if this resolution leads to increased funding, as it explicitly calls for full funding and staffing of the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management fire programs.
Communities in wildfire-prone areas (particularly in Western states and areas like Los Angeles affected by the January 2025 fires) could benefit from improved federal wildfire prevention and response capabilities.
Climate science institutions receive political validation, as the resolution explicitly cites NASA findings that human-caused climate change is the main cause of increasing fire weather in the American West.
Who Bears the Burden and How
This resolution creates no direct burdens - it is a non-binding "sense of the Senate" statement with no legal force. It does not appropriate money, create regulations, or impose requirements on anyone.
However, the resolution implicitly points to the fossil fuel industry and other sources of greenhouse gas emissions as contributors to climate change, though it creates no regulatory burden.
Taxpayers would bear costs only if future binding legislation appropriates additional funds for wildfire programs.
Key Provisions
- Formally acknowledges that climate change is driving more frequent, intense, and destructive wildfires
- Cites USGS estimate that wildfires cost the U.S. billion annually (excluding health impacts)
- References the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires that destroyed 15,000+ homes and killed 24+ people
- Calls for full funding and staffing of federal wildfire prevention and response activities
- Notes that fire season has extended from 4 months to 6-8 months according to the Forest Service
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
A Senate resolution acknowledging that climate change is making wildfires more frequent, intense, and destructive, and acknowledging the need to fully fund Federal wildfire prevention and response activities.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Non-binding resolution to establish Senate position on climate change and wildfire risk, building political support for future wildfire funding legislation"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Federal wildfire agencies (Forest Service, BLM)
- Federal firefighters and personnel
- Communities in wildfire-prone areas
- Climate science institutions
Likely Burden Bearers
- Federal budget/taxpayers (if funding is appropriated in future legislation)
- Industries contributing to climate change (implicitly targeted by framing)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_senate"
- → United States Senate
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (as defined in preamble)
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology