U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet has co-sponsored a bill to speed wildfire recovery activities for states, local governments, and tribes.

“Communities that take steps to mitigate damage in the wake of destructive fires deserve a reliable partner in the federal government,” Bennet said. “The Emergency Watershed Protection Program is a valuable tool for post-fire recovery in Colorado and throughout the West, but communities often face significant hurdles accessing funding quickly.”

Bennet and U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney authored the legislation in the Senate, and there is a companion House bill sponsored by representatives from the wildfire-prone states of Utah and California.

Last year, Bennet and Romney requested an audit of the Emergency Watershed Protection Program, or EWP, which conducts restoration activities after a natural disaster that affect watersheds. Debris removal, levee repair, and addressing damaged drainage facilities are activities for which EWP provides financial or technical assistance.

The bill, named the Making Access to Cleanup Happen (MATCH) Act, would approve a list of activities a jurisdiction could undertake prior to entering into a formal agreement with the federal government. If a funding agreement then takes place, the government would count those costs in the jurisdiction’s 25% mandatory contribution toward the project.

La Plata County Manager Chuck Stevens said in a statement that the bill fixes a “flaw” in the EWP that currently “delays the critical work needed to protect life and property in the wake of flooding and debris flow.” His county was home to the 416 Fire, which burned over 50,000 acres in 2018.