Emergency Conservation Program Improvement Act of 2025

Floor Speech

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Ms. LETLOW. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1011, the Emergency Conservation Program Improvement Act of 2025.

Across this country, farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners are on the front lines of natural disasters. Whether it is hurricanes in my home State of Louisiana, wildfires in Nebraska, or severe storms across rural America, these events do not just damage land. They threaten livelihoods, local economies, and our Nation's food and fiber supply.

Too often, when disaster strikes, the programs designed to help, including the Emergency Conservation Program and the Emergency Forest Restoration Program, are slowed by red tape, delays, and barriers to access.

My bill, H.R. 1011, takes a commonsense approach to fixing that. This legislation ensures that producers, forest landowners, and family forestry businesses can access advance payments of up to 75 percent of recovery costs so they can begin rebuilding immediately rather than waiting months for reimbursement.

It expands the types of emergency conservation practices that qualify for assistance, recognizing that recovery goes far beyond repairing fences. It includes restoring farmland, rehabilitating conservation structures, and stabilizing land after devastating events.

It also ensures that wildfire damage can qualify for assistance when natural conditions cause fires to spread, providing fairness and certainty for landowners facing increasingly severe fire seasons.

For forest landowners and family forestry businesses, this bill provides critical flexibility to remove debris, replant trees, and restore working lands without unnecessary delay.

Mr. Speaker, timing matters. We are quickly approaching both hurricane and wildfire seasons. Communities across the country are preparing for what may come. When disaster hits, recovery cannot wait. Producers and landowners need tools that match the urgency of the moment. This bill delivers exactly that.

For a farmer whose fields have been washed out, for a rancher rebuilding miles of fencing, and for a family forestry business working to recover from a storm or wildfire damage, this legislation means faster recovery, less financial strain, and a stronger path forward.

I also recognize the bipartisan leadership behind this effort. In the Senate, I thank Senator Deb Fischer and Senator Ben Ray Lujan for leading this important legislation. Here in the House, I am grateful for the support of my colleagues, Representatives Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Don Bacon, Mike Flood, and Adrian Smith. This is what bipartisan, solutions-oriented policymaking looks like.

H.R. 1011 removes barriers, cuts through delays, and ensures that disaster assistance works when it is needed most. It strengthens the resilience of rural America because when our producers and forest landowners recover faster, our communities recover faster.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this practical, bipartisan solution and stand with the farmers, ranchers, forest landowners, and family forestry businesses who feed, fuel, and sustain our Nation.

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