Wildfire budget reform and forest management policy reform will again have to wait until next year. As Congress adjourns this weekend, any bill not passed by the legislature and signed by the President will need to be reintroduced next year in the new Congress. The budget and policy reform proposals had been included in the Energy Bill conference, a good sign to many as the Energy Bill conference was expected to produce a “must-pass” piece of legislation. However, lawmakers could not come to an agreement on the management policy reform details.
Congressional negotiations were broken off in order to focus on the Continuing Resolution to keep the government funded until April 28, 2017 and a Water Resources Development bill that contained $10 billion in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water projects.