H5634 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE October 1, 2020 There was no objection. around the stream. Catastrophic wild- The events of the last month and the f fire burns to the edge of the water. last decade plus show how poorly our Soil and organic materials are all current forest management policies are FIRE FACTS burned up in a catastrophic . and that they are broken and in drastic The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under Special care is taken to protect the soil need of reform. the Speaker’s announced policy of Jan- in a clear-cut. Nearly every corner of the West has uary 3, 2019, the Chair recognizes the When a clear-cut is planned, a plan been touched by catastrophic wildfire. gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. for reforestation is also in place. Often My district has been home to several WESTERMAN) until 10 p.m. as the des- on catastrophic wildfire, there is no re- major fires this year, including the ignee of the minority leader. forestation. Bush fire that burned over 193,000 GENERAL LEAVE As far as planting goes, it is exten- acres. 700,000 acres of land has been Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I sive with a clear-cut. It is unplanned burned across my State. ask unanimous consent that all Mem- and uncontrolled in a catastrophic Even before this year’s fire season, bers may have 5 legislative days within wildfire. the evidence of our forest management which to revise and extend their re- The size of a clear-cut, in , practices being broken are clear. In the marks and include extraneous material it is less than 20 acres. are last 10 years alone, wildfires have on the topic of this Special Order. huge, burning millions of acres. We burned over 74 million acres of land in The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there have almost burned 8 million acres to the West, and our Federal Govern- objection to the request of the gen- date in the wildfire season this year in ment’s reaction to this has been ex- tleman from Arkansas? the U.S. tremely lacking. There was no objection. We can continue going down the list, These catastrophic fires have dev- Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, fires astating impacts on the environment are ravaging the West. I want to talk a but you can see, even talking about carbon, at least with a clear-cut, you and human health. For example, one little bit about what is going on with large wildfire is roughly the equivalent the fires, and I want to talk about what are putting the wood into material that stores carbon. With a wildfire, you of a major volcanic eruption, releasing is not going on here in Congress. large amounts of dangerous particles To start with, I just want to take a are releasing the carbon into the air. And these dead snags eventually rot. into the air. This increase of air pollu- quick look at the science of fire. tion exacerbates respiratory illnesses, This fire triangle shows that three And they are not just releasing carbon dioxide like the fire does; they are re- such as COVID–19. things are required to have a fire. You Because of this, earlier this year, I leasing methane, which is a worse have to have fuel, heat, and oxygen. wrote a letter to Agriculture Secretary There is a lot of talk about the role greenhouse gas. Perdue and Interior Secretary Bern- climate change is playing in these Clear-cutting is not something that hardt. This letter urged them to act fires. Climate increasing temperatures we want to do in a national forest, but quickly to secure contracts with pri- can draw fuel. If it gets windy, you can people who are not allowing good forest vate businesses to ensure that fire- have more oxygen. Lightning can be management—and that is Congress fighters could be properly protected one of the things to ignite fires, but a with the rules that we have—are doing from COVID–19 and that the aerial sup- lot of fires obviously are ignited by something much more devastating port they needed to adequately fight man-made ways. than clear-cutting by allowing these catastrophic fires was there. When we talk about putting out fire, catastrophic wildfires to continue Recent studies conducted at George the first thing we do is try to get the unabated. Mason University showed that on aver- fuel out of the way, or we use water to Just as an example, this is the An- age, a fire stands a higher probability cool the fire and remove the oxygen. gora fire. That is a natural clear-cut. of being contained within 24 hours if But we have to spend way too much That is a stand replacing fire. air tankers are deployed on that fire time working on extinguishing fires This is 12 years later, where you have within the first few hours. Fires that when we can take the actions to reduce no regrowth on the site. do not receive air tanker support for a the fuel to reduce the fires. On top of that, according to the period of 13 hours or more are likely to Any time I talk about forest manage- USGS, in 2018, the carbon emissions take days or weeks to achieve contain- ment, I get accused of wanting to from wildfires released the same ment. clear-cut the national forests, and I amount of carbon as the emissions that I also wrote a letter to Attorney Gen- can promise you the last thing I want would be produced by generating eral Barr that urged him to ensure that to do is clear-cut the national forests. enough electricity to power California the Justice Department’s Natural Re- I want to use good management on the for a whole year. sources Division was adequately national forests. That is what we Mr. Speaker, we need to take action. resourced to fight frivolous lawsuits should be doing. But I often wonder if It is not that the Forest Service from radical leftwing environmental those people who talk about clear-cut- doesn’t know how to manage the land, organizations. ting even have any idea of what a it is that we have tied their hands and Lawsuits from radical environ- clear-cut is. we have allowed activists and lawyers mentalists are nothing new. We have I have put this chart together that to manage the forests rather than the seen this already in Arizona with the shows a comparison between a clear- professionals in the Forest Service. disastrous WildEarth Guardians law- cut and a catastrophic wildfire, and I If we don’t want to see the same suit regarding the Mexican Spotted will go on the record and say that cata- things repeating over and over, with Owl. In that case, a U.S. District Court strophic wildfires are worse than clear- loss of life, loss of property, loss of a judge in Tucson issued a ruling based cuts. resource that actually pulls carbon di- on bad and debunked science that Look at the data. oxide out of the air and could be used During a clear-cut, the trees are stopped active forest management ac- to reduce the effects of climate change, killed. During a catastrophic wildfire, tivities in six national forests, includ- we should do something proactive and the trees are killed. ing the Tonto National Forest in Ari- During a clear-cut, the trees are re- actually start managing these forests. zona, which was the home of the Bush moved. During a catastrophic wildfire, It is time to act, and unfortunately, fire. you are left with dead snags that can Congress has sat on their hands while This decision was a massive setback, be fuel for additional wildfires. All we continue to watch the West burn. and it is directly contributing to the vegetation is killed. That is what hap- Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman enhanced fire risk that threatens our pens in a catastrophic wildfire. At least from Arizona (Mr. GOSAR). communities that we are seeing across in a clear-cut you leave the residual Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, first of all, the West. grasses and the shrubs. I thank the gentleman from Arkansas A devastating wildfire season is not (Mr. WESTERMAN), my friend, for orga- inevitable. It isn’t something that we b 2145 nizing this Special Order and for his must just accept. There are steps that Stream zones are protected when a leadership and expertise on forestry can be taken now to ensure that our clear-cut is done. You leave vegetation issues. communities are protected.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 08:54 Oct 02, 2020 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00526 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K01OC7.155 H01OCPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with HOUSE October 1, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H5635 I will continue to urge the Federal homes and their businesses, and jobs These wildfires—and this year—have tested agencies tasked with managing our for- will continue to be lost, and our public our resilience, but of this I am certain: In the ests and fighting catastrophic fires health will continue to be threatened. face of catastrophe, Central Washington will that bold action is necessary. Lives de- While a loss of homes and livelihoods recover. Now it is the federal government’s re- pend on it. is heartbreaking, there is nothing more sponsibility to do everything in its power to Just last year, as chairman of the tragic than the loss of life. prevent another disaster like this again. Congressional Western Caucus, I had Today, I join the people of central Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I the opportunity to visit the district of Washington in mourning the loss of 1- thank the gentleman from Washington my friend from California, Mr. MCCLIN- year-old Baby Hyland, whose life was (Mr. NEWHOUSE) for his comments to- TOCK, where aggressive forest manage- tragically cut short as his parents fled night. ment practices in the Lake Tahoe to escape the Cold that Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman Basin have prevented catastrophic fire. was raging across Okanogan County. from Alabama (Mr. PALMER). This active management was made pos- The Hyland family has suffered im- Mr. PALMER. Mr. Speaker, I thank sible by getting unnecessary red tape measurable loss with the deaths of the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. out of the way and putting what is both their toddler as well as the death WESTERMAN) for holding this discussion most important first: protecting our of their unborn child. My heart aches about forest management. communities from the destruction of and my prayers go out for the Hylands Mr. Speaker, I rise today because wildfire. as they recover from their own wounds ‘‘California’s forests suffer from ne- Just in the last 2 years, this adminis- in this unimaginable heartbreak. glect and mismanagement, resulting in tration has taken steps to manage These tragic circumstances fall on overcrowding that leaves them suscep- vegetation inside utility corridors, us, Mr. Speaker. We are responsible, as tible to disease, insects and wildfire.’’ build additional firebreaks, and reform the Federal Government, for failing to These are not my words. They are the the NEPA process within the Forest deliver a management strategy that words of the Little Hoover Commis- Service. However, after so many years enables us to prevent these cata- sion, an independent State oversight of inaction, there is a long road to hoe strophic events. agency in California. to where we have to get, which is why We cannot continue to sit idly by. In their 2018 report entitled ‘‘Fire on I am so pleased we are here tonight We have to responsibly log our for- the Mountain,’’ the Little Hoover Com- calling for serious action by this ests and graze our lands, or we will mission called for a transformational House. watch them burn. change in California forest manage- There are a few pieces of legislation These wildfires and this year have ment practices after ‘‘A century of that have been introduced. Just to truly tested our resilience, but of this mismanaging Sierra Nevada forests has name a few: H.R. 7978, a bipartisan, I am certain: in the face of catas- bought an unprecedented environ- comprehensive forestry reform bill led trophe, central Washington will re- mental catastrophe that impacts all by the gentleman from California (Mr. cover. Californians.’’ That is a direct quote Now it is the Federal Government’s LAMALFA), as well as H.R. 2607, the Re- from the report. responsibility to do everything in its silient Federal Forests Act, by Mr. California’s own Legislative Ana- power to prevent another disaster like WESTERMAN, both of which I am proud lyst’s Office agreed and found that lim- this again. to support. itations on timber harvests and empha- For years, extreme environmentalist groups The Democratic leadership in this sis on fire suppression and an increas- have insisted that we leave our forests and House has been transparent about the ing number of environmental permit- natural lands alone, leaving them in their fact that they do not view forest man- ting requirements have led to quote ‘‘natural state.’’ But as we witness, year- agement to prevent wildfires as a legis- unhealthily dense forests. after-year, that strategy simply does not work. lative priority, and that has deadly Thankfully, both groups recognize Many point to climate change as a contrib- consequences. that commonsense forest management uting factor; I am not here to refute that. At the Again, Mr. Speaker, I thank my practices could not only help prevent end of the day though, the facts remain: our friend from Arkansas for holding this wildfires, but also reduce carbon emis- land management—or lack thereof—is a seri- Special Order and for his leadership sions. Properly managed and healthy ous problem. and expertise on this issue. forests are more resilient and sequester Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I Decades of mismanagement, misguided en- more carbon than overgrown forests. thank the gentleman from Arizona vironmental policies, and lackluster forestry Simple recommendations like shift- (Mr. GOSAR) for being here tonight. and grazing practices have led to forests and Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman grasslands that act as tinder for wildfires, just ing from fire suppression to using fire as a tool and setting up long-term for- from Washington (Mr. NEWHOUSE). waiting to be set ablaze each summer. Mr. NEWHOUSE. Mr. Speaker, I We cannot continue to sit idly by. We have est management strategies are just a thank the gentleman from Arkansas to responsibly log our forests and graze our couple of the low-cost solutions that (Mr. WESTERMAN), my good friend, for lands, or we will watch them burn. can help us achieve healthier forests. yielding. As I have stated all along throughout the Unlike policies such as the Green As we all know, the West has been on many challenges this year has presented: New Deal, these practices would actu- fire. Central Washington’s communities are resil- ally help address wildfires and would In my home State of Washington, ient. not cost trillions of dollars to imple- over 700,000 acres have burned, causing Wildfire recovery is no easy feat, but I have ment. Furthermore, these actions can thousands of families to evacuate, seen firsthand how citizens, volunteers, local all be taken today, and they fall in line leaving their homes, their businesses, organizations, and government entities work with some of the things that my Re- and their farms behind. Whole towns together to revive our communities, rebuild our publican colleagues and I have been have essentially been wiped off the fallen structures, and actively work to prevent suggesting on the Select Committee on map. future devastation. the Climate Crisis: that if we take ac- Smoke blanketed central Wash- I have heard stories of students and volun- tion to mitigate and adapt to the cli- ington, with fires raging up and down teers jumping into action, working to clear mate change that we know is going to the West Coast. The air quality of our burnt areas, making way for new structures. occur, we could avoid some of the ca- cities and our rural areas ranked the Fairgrounds and community groups opened to tastrophes that we are seeing play out worst in the world. help house and treat evacuated or injured live- in California right now and in other As the people of central Washington stock and animals. Donations continue to pour places in the West. and many of my colleagues in Congress in from across the state, region, and country If you care about protecting our citi- understand, healthy, resilient forests to families and firefighters in need. zens from wildfires and reducing car- are the key to wildfire prevention. We I am working closely with FEMA and USDA bon emissions, then you should support have made significant progress, but to ensure our communities receive the federal responsible forest management. In- there is still much work to be done. assistance they need, and I stand ready to stead of wasting time on unrealistic so- Without our leadership in Congress, help the people of our district in any way I lutions, we should take serious action families will continue to lose their can. to prevent unnecessary wildfires and

VerDate Sep 11 2014 11:39 Oct 02, 2020 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00527 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K01OC7.156 H01OCPT1 SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with HOUSE H5636 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE October 1, 2020 improve the carbon sequestration po- could have forests that look like this. Bureaucratic delays and frivolous lawsuits tential of our forests. Now, it would be those species that are have halted much of this proactive work. The Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I out there, and the management would town of Berry Creek, received a grant to re- thank the gentleman from Alabama be done accordingly, but there is no move hazardous fuels, but it took the state (Mr. PALMER) for his comments. reason we can’t do this. nearly two years to review the project and Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman It is Speaker PELOSI’s State that is allow it to proceed. By the time they did, it from Pennsylvania (Mr. THOMPSON). on fire. It is Chairman GRIJALVA’s was too late, and the was Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. State that is on fire. It is Chairman already raging, destroying more than 50 Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman DEFAZIO’s State that is on fire. homes in this community. from Arkansas (Mr. WESTERMAN) for I wish that Democrats would take Salvage logging is another example of a hosting this Special Order on wildfire. time to do what is right, to address win-win solution where companies still have Mr. Speaker, over the past decade, these fires, to quit playing politics an economic incentive to harvest the timber there has been an average of 64,100 with relief bills that are going nowhere while helping prevent the next catastrophic wildfires and 6.8 million acres burned and do something that could really wildfire. Charred trees left in the wake of every year. help the people and their States. wildfires are extremely flammable and haz- With over 10 million acres burned, we We want to help, but we can’t do it ardous fuels. Salvage operations must be con- saw the highest number of Federal on our own. We are in the minority. ducted quickly or the economic value is lost, acres burned in 2015—and nearly that We will work together and offer sug- and extreme environmental groups frequently amount in 2017. gestions, but it is going to take a bi- file lawsuits to halt these efforts. But this year, it has been even worse. partisan effort to change these rules so In 2018 when I served as Chairman of the 2020 has been an extremely difficult that management can take place. Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, I wildfire year for our firefighters, our Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance worked in a bipartisan fashion with Congress- responders, and many rural commu- of my time. woman MCCOLLUM to prioritize forest manage- nities in and near the forests. Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor ment and fuel reduction on our federal lands. As of today, October 1, over 44,000 our firefighters who put their lives on the line wildfires have burned nearly 7.7 million We worked in good faith to achieve some to keep our communities safe every day. As meaningful reforms including a funding fix for acres this year alone. new wildfires start every week, these brave In addition to the destruction of the Forest Service and some limited regulatory men and women selflessly join the fight to pro- these forests, homes, and property, we reforms. Still, much more needs to be done to tect life and property, while their families must sadly continue to see lost lives. protect our communities. Over the past 25 years, active man- live with the uncertainty of the threats they We need to eliminate the red-tape that pre- agement has plummeted across the na- face on the frontlines. I commend these indi- vents these common-sense management ef- tional forest system; consequently, it viduals, and Congress must provide all the forts. We must take forest management deci- is no coincidence that the larger, more support necessary to ensure our firefighters sions out of the courts and put the forest man- intense fires are happening on Federal can return safely to their families. agers back in the driver’s seat. Fortunately, lands, where there is less management, I also commend the heroes joining the fight House Republicans have solutions. versus State and private lands. from across the country. California’s fire- Congressman MCCLINTOCK’s Proven Forest More individual fires occur in the fighting resources are strained by the sheer Management Act takes lessons learned from a East, but the wildfires in the West are number and size of the fires we face, and it pilot program in Lake Tahoe National Forest. larger and burn more acres. Wildfires is a testament to our nation’s highest ideals Land managers were able to approve the first also have significant impacts on east- that firefighters from across the West have forest management project in under four ern forests because of the budgetary ef- come to our aid as these historic fires rage in months in a 16-page report, compared to an fects on the Forest Service’s ability to every corner of our state. average of 4.5 years and 500 pages. We manage and personnel. Riverside County has already faced four dis- should pass this bill and expand this success- We must be encouraging more active tinct fires this wildfire season, burning over ful program nationwide. forest management across the National 60,000 acres in and around my district. In Congressman WESTERMAN’s Resilient Fed- Forest system. This includes thinning, these fires alone, 17 individuals have been in- eral Forests Act is another example. This leg- prescribed fires, and hazardous fuels re- jured, and one firefighter lost his life trying to islation has passed the House twice with over- duction, especially in the roughly 19 put out the El Dorado fire. Charlie Morton was whelming bipartisan support but was never million acres of Federal lands that are a 14-year veteran of the Forest Service, and considered by the Senate. This bill would already known to be at high risk. I send my deepest condolences to Charlie’s streamline permitting for a wide array of forest Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, family for their terrible loss. management projects. When it comes to forest Mr. WESTERMAN, for his great work Nearly every year California seems to break management, time is of the essence, and this during the last farm bill and his leader- some record during the fire season. legislation would dramatically increase our na- ship with the Resilient Federal Forests It doesn’t have to be this way. tional capability to reduce the frequency and Act and the Trillion Trees Act. For years, top congressional Democrats severity of catastrophic fires across the West. Through the next farm bill, I am have rejected bipartisan proposals to reform I call on Speaker PELOSI to take up these hopeful that we can continue to build our nation’s forest management practices. bills and pass meaningful, comprehensive for- on those commonsense reforms, and we Many Democrats have outright rejected the estry reform. More bureaucracy is not the an- will provide more authorities to help idea that how we manage our National For- swer to our wildfire crisis, and we in Congress the Forest Service better manage and ests has anything to do with the increasing must act like there are lives at stake, because encourage more partnerships. frequency and intensity of wildfires in the that is the reality of the threat we face. Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I West. f thank the gentleman from Pennsyl- Well, here are some of the facts: EXPENDITURES BY THE OFFICE vania (Mr. THOMPSON) for being here Since 2010, approximately 150 million trees tonight. have died across federal, state, and private OF GENERAL COUNSEL UNDER Mr. Speaker, I just want to illustrate lands in California. HOUSE RESOLUTION 6, 116TH here that this isn’t difficult. It is not It is estimated that over 2 million properties CONGRESS rocket science. are at extreme risk of wildfire due to high fuel HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, This is a control in the first picture. loads nearby. COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION, You see all the underbrush, the ladder Between 60 and 80 million acres of national Washington, DC, October 1, 2020. fuels. This is on Federal land as well. forest are at high- to very-high risk of cata- Hon. NANCY PELOSI, You see the forest management in strophic wildfire, but the Forest Service treats Speaker, House of Representatives, the middle where you thin it out, you between just 1 and 2 percent of high risk Washington, DC. DEAR MADAM SPEAKER: Pursuant to section do controlled burns. You do those acres each year. 302(c) of House Resolution 6 (116th Congress) every few years, and you get a resilient In January, a study in Nature found that I hereby submit the attached statement forest that looks like this. California needs to treat approximately 20 mil- ‘‘setting forth the aggregate amounts ex- California and Oregon and Arizona lion acres to meaningfully impact wildfire risk. pended by the Office of General Counsel on and Washington State, Nevada, they We treat closer to 13,000 acres annually. outside counsel and other experts pursuant

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