Create a permanent legislative fix to the Cottonwood court decision to reduce delays in forest management projects.

The bill provides a permanent legislative fix to the Cottonwood court decision by limiting when the U.S. Forest Service must reinitiate consultation... It will reduce delays that have stalled logging and forest management projects

Zinke backed a permanent Cottonwood fix intended to reduce litigation delays in forest management and logging projects.

Farm Bill Passes House: Zinke Secures Huge Wins to Repeal Cottonwood, Support Farmers & Ranchers, Improve Wildlife Conservation | Representative Ryan Zinke
primary · press_release · model gpt-5.4-mini

Congress.gov shows Ryan K. Zinke as a House cosponsor of H.R. 471. The bill would speed review of forest management projects and, as of the latest action shown, had passed the House and then received a Senate committee hearing, but it was not enacted.

Strong concrete legislative effort toward the promised forest-management fix, but only partial delivery because the bill still had not become law.

partial same_term A for effort

H.R.471 - 119th Congress (2025-2026): Fix Our Forests Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress
secondary · model gpt-5.4-mini · confidence 95%

Congress.gov shows the Senate companion bill for the Fix Our Forests Act was introduced, moved to the Senate legislative calendar, and still had not passed the Senate or become law. Its summary says it would expedite review of certain forest management projects.

The legislative fix remained pending, reinforcing that the promise was not fully delivered as of the latest official record.

partial same_term A for effort

S.1462 - 119th Congress (2025-2026): Fix Our Forests Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress
secondary · model gpt-5.4-mini · confidence 91%

The Ninth Circuit affirmed that the Forest Service violated ESA Section 7 when it failed to reinitiate consultation after critical habitat for Canada lynx was designated on National Forest land.

Establishes the underlying Cottonwood decision: the court required renewed ESA consultation for forest plans after new critical habitat designations, the problem the promise sought to fix legislatively.

unresolved unknown

Cottonwood Environmental Law Center v. U.S. Forest Service, Nos. 13-35624 and 13-35631
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 97%

Section 122, Consultation on forest plans, would state that the Secretary shall not be required to reinitiate ESA consultation on certain Forest Service or BLM land management plans when a new species is listed, critical habitat is designated, or new information reveals effects not previously considered.

The House bill contained a concrete statutory Cottonwood-style fix by limiting reinitiation of consultation on forest and land management plans under specified circumstances.

partial same_term A for effort

Text - H.R.471 - 119th Congress (2025-2026): Fix Our Forests Act
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 96%

Congress.gov lists Rep. Zinke, Ryan K. [R-MT-1] as an original cosponsor of H.R.471 on 01/16/2025.

Zinke took concrete legislative action toward the promised fix by cosponsoring the Fix Our Forests Act at introduction.

partial same_term A for effort

Cosponsors - H.R.471 - 119th Congress (2025-2026): Fix Our Forests Act
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 98%

The Clerk records Roll Call 25 on H.R.471 as Status: Passed, 279 yeas to 141 nays; Zinke, Republican, Montana, voted Yea.

The House passed H.R.471 and Zinke voted for it, showing substantial effort, but House passage alone did not enact the permanent legislative fix.

partial same_term A for effort

Roll Call 25, H.R.471 Fix Our Forests Act, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 98%

Congress.gov lists H.R.471 with status Passed House; the tracker still shows later steps Passed Senate, To President, and Became Law not completed, with latest action in the Senate on 03/06/2025 for a subcommittee hearing.

Official bill status shows H.R.471 had not become law, so the promised permanent legislative fix was not delivered through this bill.

never same_term A for effort

H.R.471 - 119th Congress (2025-2026): Fix Our Forests Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 98%

Congress.gov lists S.1462 with status Introduced; latest action was 10/27/2025, Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders, Calendar No. 212, and the tracker does not show passage by the Senate, House, presentation to the President, or enactment.

The Senate companion advanced to the calendar but remained unenacted, confirming that the permanent legislative fix had not been fulfilled as law.

never same_term A for effort

S.1462 - 119th Congress (2025-2026): Fix Our Forests Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 98%