Currently, the U.S. Forest Service spends approximately half of its budget fighting forest fires, causing the agency to cut into non-fire programs to meet this important need. The Federal Land Assistance Management and Enhancement (FLAME) Act of 2009 (H.R. 1404), aimed to reduce the need for agencies to transfer non-fire funds to fight wildland fires when dedicated funds run out.

The amendment offered by Representative Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) would have given state foresters expanded authority to carry out potentially harmful projects on national forests. The language contained two significant National Forest Management Act waivers, which would not require state foresters to advertise timber sales and eliminate federal oversight of marking, designating, and implementing logging projects on national forest lands.

On March 26, the amendment was rejected 148-272 (House roll call vote 161). NO IS THE PRO-ENVIRONMENT VOTE. The FLAME Act was included in the Interior-Environment appropriations bill, which the President signed into law March 30.