APCIA Testifies in Support of the Fix Our Forests Act

WASHINGTON - One year after the catastrophic wildfires that swept through the Los Angeles region, the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA) is calling for urgent, coordinated action to strengthen wildfire resilience nationwide. This rising frequency and severity of wildfire events demand urgent action in Congress - paired with state and local reforms - to reduce fire risk, improve fuel management practices, and ultimately save lives.

At the federal level, the Fix Our Forests Act provides a comprehensive framework that strengthens forest-management, community wildfire risk reduction, hardening, and innovation - such as prediction and interagency response coordination. It also prioritizes reducing hazardous fuel loads and other risk factors that contribute to large-scale wildfires.

The need for swift action was underscored in testimony delivered today by APCIA's Senior Vice President of Policy, Research, and International, Robert Gordon before the House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands. The hearing is titled, "Fix Our Forests: The Need for Urgent Action One Year After the L.A. Wildfires." The following statement may be attributed to Gordon:

"A year later, the devastation in Los Angeles is still felt by families, small businesses, and first responders. States and local actions are critical, but communities need a durable federal framework that accelerates risk-reduction and strengthens built-environment resilience and improves the tools agencies use to anticipate and respond to extreme fire conditions. The Fix Our Forests Act would help break the cycle of increasingly destructive fires by supporting community-scale mitigation, advancing modern technology, and reducing fuel loads that turn small ignitions into catastrophic events.

"As wildfire losses continue to escalate nationwide, comprehensive mitigation is essential to improving long-term insurance availability and affordability for homeowners in high-risk regions."

The Fix Our Forests Act (H.R.471) led by Reps. Bruce Westerman and Scott Peters passed the House in January 2025, following the Los Angeles fires. The Senate Agriculture Committee advanced its version of the legislation (S. 1462) in October 2025 with bipartisan support. APCIA urges the Senate to consider the bill and work with House leaders to get this critical legislation to the President's desk.

APCIA's statement for the record is available here.