On Thursday, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order establishing a new policy committee to improve coordination among federal agencies in charge of overseeing wildland fire management.  The policy committee, which the Executive Order dubs the Wildland Fire Subcabinet, will be co-chaired by the Secretary of Agriculture and Secretary of the Interior and include the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Director of the National Economic Council (NEC), along with the heads of other relevant agencies as the Chairs deem appropriate. 

The new policy committee is being charged with better streamlining and coordinating wildfire policy activities to eliminate duplication among the participating agencies, as well as promulgating better engagement with state and local governments, among a number of other tasks to improve federal wildfire prevention activities.  With President Trump’s limited time remaining in office, the Executive Order’s longevity is questionable, as it could be rescinded by the Biden Administration or folded into the new President’s plans for wildfire prevention once he takes office. 

The full text of President Trump’s Executive Order can be viewed here.