Three bills championed by Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) targeting public lands maintenance, water infrastructure, and wildfire prevention cleared the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and now await a vote by the full Senate.

The Three Bills

The Urban Canal Modernization Act (S. 2753) would allow states to tap Bureau of Reclamation funding for repairs to urban canals. Risch has pointed to the New York Canal in Idaho’s Treasure Valley as a prime example of aging water infrastructure facing significant maintenance challenges.

The Wildfire Prevention Act (S. 140), co-introduced with Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), aims to cut regulatory red tape around forest management and expand the use of grazing as a tool to reduce wildfire fuel loads. The bill also includes a provision to nullify the 2001 Roadless Rule, though state-specific rules already in place for Idaho and Colorado would remain intact.

The third measure, the America the Beautiful Act (S. 1547), was introduced alongside Senator Steve Daines (R-Montana). It would reauthorize the Legacy Restoration Fund, a program designed to help federal land managers chip away at accumulated maintenance backlogs on public lands.

Risch’s Case for the Legislation

Risch framed the package as practical stewardship rather than ideological legislation. “There is no question that Idahoans care deeply about our public lands and water systems,” he said, adding that the bills “will help maintain our public lands, prevent critical water infrastructure from falling into disrepair, and mitigate wildfire risk.”

He urged the full Senate to move swiftly, saying he wants these resources to keep serving Idahoans for generations.

What’s Next

With committee approval secured, all three bills now face the broader Senate calendar. Floor time for individual bills can be difficult to secure, and the legislation will compete with other priorities as the chamber works through its agenda. No vote date has been announced.

The wildfire bill’s Roadless Rule provision is likely to draw the most scrutiny during full Senate consideration. The 2001 rule, which restricts road construction and logging on tens of millions of acres of national forest land, has long been a flashpoint in Western states debates over federal land management. Idaho has operated under its own state-specific rule since 2008, meaning the nullification provision would have limited direct effect on Idaho’s forests while potentially reshaping management elsewhere.

Idaho’s congressional delegation has made federal land and water policy a consistent focus. Representative Mike Simpson has separately pursued federal investment in Idaho infrastructure through the appropriations process, most recently securing nearly $5.83 million for the aging Dry Creek Bridge along the US-30 corridor. Risch’s committee wins represent a different avenue — authorizing legislation — that would establish new policy frameworks rather than directing specific spending.

If enacted, the three bills would represent a significant shift in how federal agencies approach canal maintenance funding, forest management permitting, and public lands upkeep across the West.