introduced the following bill... Forest Health and Wildfire Risk Reduction Act... To codify the categorical exclusion proposed in the National Environmental Policy Act Implementing Procedures for the Bureau of Land Management related to tree density modification published on April 6, 2026.
Codify the categorical exclusion for Bureau of Land Management tree density modification under the National Environmental Policy Act implementing procedures.
Occurrences
To codify the categorical exclusion proposed in the National Environmental Policy Act Implementing Procedures for the Bureau of Land Management related to tree density modification published on April 6, 2026.
Evidence
The bill text on GovInfo states that H.R. 8688 was introduced in the House by Mr. Hurd of Colorado, for himself and Mr. Newhouse, and referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources. The full title says it would codify the categorical exclusion proposed in the NEPA implementing procedures for the Bureau of Land Management related to tree density modification published on April 6, 2026.
The Daily Digest for May 7, 2026 reports that 53 public bills, H.R. 8666 through H.R. 8718, were introduced in the House that day.
GovInfo identifies H.R. 8688 as the Forest Health and Wildfire Risk Reduction Act, sponsored by Jeff Hurd of Colorado with Dan Newhouse as cosponsor. The listed action is introduction and referral to the House Committee on Natural Resources, with the last action date of May 7, 2026. The full title matches the promise to codify the BLM tree-density-modification categorical exclusion.
The introduced bill text states that tree density modification activities would be designated as categorically excluded from environmental assessment or environmental impact statement preparation under NEPA section 102, subject to acreage, road, method, and resource-disclosure limitations. The bill text shows the proposal would codify the substance of the promise if enacted.
GovInfo's related-documents page lists only one bill version for H.R. 8688: the Introduced in House version issued May 7, 2026. It also repeats the last listed action as introduction and referral to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
The Daily Digest for May 7, 2026 reports that House public bills H.R. 8666 through H.R. 8718 were introduced that day and that no recorded votes or committee hearings occurred in the House that day.
Assessments
Jeff Hurd introduced H.R. 8688 on May 7, 2026, and the bill's title and text directly match the promise to codify the BLM tree-density-modification categorical exclusion. The official record shows only introduction and referral to the House Committee on Natural Resources, with no passage, enactment, or codification documented as of July 1, 2026. Because Hurd remains in the same federal term and the bill is pending rather than finally failed, the promise is unresolved, with credit for a serious legislative effort.
As of June 21, 2026, the documented action is that Jeff Hurd introduced H.R. 8688 on May 7, 2026, and it was referred to committee. The bill text directly matches the promise to codify the Bureau of Land Management categorical exclusion for tree density modification, so Hurd clearly made a material legislative effort. But there is no evidence here of committee advancement, passage, enactment, or actual codification into law or binding procedure, so the promised outcome has not yet been delivered. Because Hurd is still in office and the measure is not shown to have definitively failed, the best judgment is unresolved rather than never.
Hurd introduced H.R. 8688 in the 119th Congress, and the bill text directly matches the promise to codify the Bureau of Land Management tree-density-modification categorical exclusion under NEPA procedures. However, the available congressional status shows introduction/referral only, with no enactment, final agency codification, or other completed federal implementation. Because Hurd is still in the same federal term and the measure has not clearly failed or passed, the promise remains unresolved rather than delivered or never fulfilled.