Austin News

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce Committee, and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chairwoman of the Senate Commerce Committee, have introduced the Fire Ready Nation Act. This bipartisan legislation aims to enhance emergency management and firefighting capabilities by improving wildfire prediction, response, and preparation.

The bill proposes several reforms to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and seeks to deploy more federal meteorologists to wildfire frontlines. This measure would allow responders to integrate more accurate and timely forecast information into their plans.

Senator Cruz remarked, “Texans have seen devastating wildfires consume hundreds of thousands of acres across the Lone Star State, particularly in the panhandle. Better forecasting and preparation for such disasters will greatly reduce the damage from fires in the future, helping to protect Texans’ homes and the livelihoods of many farmers and ranchers across the state. I am grateful to partner with Chairwoman Cantwell on this critical legislation to help keep Texans safe and deadly wildfires under control.”

In Texas this year alone, 170 wildfires have ravaged 1.25 million acres, destroying ranches, killing thousands of cattle, and prompting evacuations. The Smokehouse Creek fire in particular scorched almost 1.1 million acres in the panhandle, setting a record for the largest wildfire in Texas history.

To address these challenges, the Fire Ready Nation Act proposes:

- Establishing a fire weather services program within NOAA to improve wildfire risk communications and forecasts.

- Creating a fire weather testbed for testing new fire hazard technologies.

- Requiring NOAA to conduct post-fire weather surveys and assessments.

- Codifying the Incident Meteorologist Service for deploying forecasters during wildfires.