House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement in reaction to the appointment of Sonny Perdue to head the Department of Agriculture.  

“The nomination of former Governor Sonny Perdue as Secretary of Agriculture is great news. He understands actual, competent forest management and its impact on the economy of rural communities. Healthy forests and protecting taxpayer resources are committee priorities that I know he will fight for alongside us. I congratulate Mr. Perdue on his appointment and look forward to working with him on a comprehensive wildfire package next Congress.”  

H.R. 2647, the “Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2015,” passed the House on July 9, 2015 and was referred to the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee. S. 3085, the “Emergency Wildfire and Forest Management Act,” is similar to H.R. 2647. Both bills pair a responsible solution to “fire borrowing” with much needed reforms to improve forest health on federal lands.