Congressional Record—House H9083

September 26, 2018 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H9083 research from the American Founda- Someone had the temerity to tell me, history story. It is an American his- tion for Suicide Prevention. as I worked towards creating Barbara tory story. We are not a Black nation There is no single cause of suicide, Johns Day, ‘‘That is Black history.’’ or a White nation. We are a nation and suicide risk increases when several Mr. Speaker, it is not Black history or built on an idea, and our students and health factors and life stressors con- White history. It is American history. our posterity need to understand that verge to create an experience of hope- And America is not Black or White or what makes us great is that this right lessness and despair. brown. America is an idea. fought for by people like this lady isn’t But, together, we can reverse this So when the Founders drafted the universal. course. By making mental healthcare, preamble to the Constitution and So, Mr. Speaker, I hope that if the substance abuse treatment, and suicide called for us to form a more perfect President is watching, he will file a prevention a national priority, we can Union, the presence of the word Presidential Medal of Freedom; I hope reverse the tide on these deaths of de- ‘‘more’’ implied a perpetual duty. And that if Members or staff are watching, spair. the revolution that cast off an oppres- they will sign on to the Barbara Johns We will save lives, and we will do it sive government from across an ocean Congressional Gold Medal Act; and I together. against Great Britain is one that I hope that if students are watching, would argue was perpetual, and that they will go to school tomorrow and f another hero of mine named Thomas tell their peers this is a country where COMBATING WILDFIRES IN THE Jefferson was a slave owner, certainly people stood up so that we all have a WESTERN UNITED STATES an imperfect man, who articulated chance to be that which we dream to near perfect ideas. be, because that is who Barbara Rose The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. HIG- Fast-forward to April 23, 1951. Bar- GINS of Louisiana). Under the Speaker’s Johns was, and it is an American his- bara Johns, with a clean and clear and tory story worth telling. announced policy of January 3, 2017, bright mind, influenced by her teachers the gentleman from Montana (Mr. WILDFIRES and her Uncle Vernon Johns, under- Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I rise GIANFORTE) is recognized for 60 min- stood that rights are not given by gov- today to bring the Chamber’s attention utes as the designee of the majority ernment but by something bigger, and to the wildfires that have devastated leader. understood that the duty of a citizen our country this year, consuming near- GENERAL LEAVE and a free nation was to assert their ly 7.7 million acres across 12 States. Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask God-given rights. So the idea of some- This figure, however, doesn’t account unanimous consent that all Members thing as draconianly oppressive as sep- for the lives tragically lost, the homes may have 5 legislative days in which to arate but equal was intolerable. destroyed, or the livelihoods that went revise and extend their remarks and to That day, she implored her students up in flames. This doesn’t account for include extraneous material on the to walk out of Moton High School and the smoke from these wildfires that topic of my Special Order. the tar paper shacks and the leaking swept from many of our Western States The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there roofs and to demand equality not of into the Midwest, creating poor air objection to the request of the gen- outcomes, but of opportunity, because quality. tleman from Montana? that is what America is supposed to The House has passed measures to re- There was no objection. be—without regard to gender, without duce the severity of our wildfires and Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I regard to race, without regard to faith. improve the health of our forests. Last yield to the gentleman from Virginia Now, what that manifested itself in November, the House passed the Resil- (Mr. GARRETT). was a court case, Davis v. Prince Ed- ward County. That court case was ient Federal Forest Act, written by my HONORING BARBARA ROSE JOHNS amalgamated into another case of friend from Arkansas (Mr. Mr. GARRETT. Somewhere, Mr. which I hope that people have heard, WESTERMAN). The legislation provides Speaker, someone is watching what is Brown v. Board of Education. The dif- commonsense reforms that will benefit going on in this Chamber. Even now, ference between that case and every our forests, economy, and the environ- probably in a Nation of 320-plus mil- other case was that those were initi- ment. lion, many someones are watching, and ated by lawyers, and this case was ini- Conservationists, organizations, for- most of them don’t have a clue who I tiated by a 16-year-old girl who under- esters, stakeholders, and local leaders am, and that is okay. But the fact that stood that the promise of liberty was throughout Montana recognize the most of them don’t have a clue who the not just to one group or another, that need for reforms to get us managing lady pictured to my left, your right, is, the American Revolution was per- our forests again. Unfortunately, the is not okay. petual, and that God had given her other Chamber, mired in obstruction, On April 23, 1951, in Prince Edward rights just like everyone else to be as- has not taken up the bill. The House, County, Virginia, at the R.R. Moton serted as a citizen in a free society. however, has not lost our focus, includ- High School, a 16-year-old student The fact that people watching don’t ing critical forest management reforms named Barbara Rose Johns strode onto know who I am is fine by me, but the into other legislation. a stage and implored her peers at this fact that our students don’t understand Looking across the West and seeing all-African American high school to as- that America is supposed to be not the devastation of the wildfires this sert their God-given rights of equality. Black or White or brown, but an idea year, I know we can’t afford to wait. I I am honored today by the presence wherein all people are created equal am honored that many of my col- of Ms. Johns’ sister, Joan Johns, in the with an opportunity to succeed based leagues are joining me here tonight gallery. She is tickled when she speaks on their work and their merit, that is who recognize the threat of cata- to me, which tickles me, because I am not okay. strophic wildfires and want to do some- tickled when I speak to her. I told her As a result, Mr. Speaker, we filed thing about them. I look forward to earlier today, Mr. Speaker, that I was H.R. 5561, the Barbara Johns Congres- hearing from them. in love with her sister. It is inter- sional Gold Medal Act. Her efforts, At this time, I yield to the gen- esting, because she is sitting with my without lauding herself, without pat- tleman from Utah, JOHN CURTIS. wife. ting herself on the back—indeed, going Mr. CURTIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise forth from this date and living a hum- today as thousands of Utahans in my b 2000 ble life as a wife and a librarian, as she district are returning to their homes The reason that I say that is that I aspired to—are the embodiment of the after being evacuated due to wildfires love America, and as a member of the nameless faces of millions who sac- that came within blocks of their State house, I had the honor of car- rificed so that we can live in a country homes. rying legislation that made April 23 that seeks to employ an idea that is The Pole Creek fire and the Bald Barbara Johns Day in Virginia. The the greatest idea known to the history Mountain fire have engulfed over reason is that Barbara Johns’ story is a of free people. 100,000 acres of land and are still burn- story that every American should The civil rights movement is not a ing strong. It is a testament to our know. Black history story. It is not a White brave firefighters and our incredible

VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:44 Sep 27, 2018 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00195 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K26SE7.130 H26SEPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with HOUSE H9084 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE September 26, 2018 community of volunteers that not a sions. They know better than anyone bipartisan Members of the House was single life has been lost and property the challenges they face in their own sent to the farm bill conferrees urging has been protected. backyards. conferrees and leadership to include ac- Although this fire season has been Should another fire strike, I am con- tive forest management provisions in one of the worst our State has ever fident that Utahans will once again the final version of the farm bill. The seen, it has brought out the best in step up to the challenge and take care base bill also reauthorizes the Land- Utah. During the height of the Pole of our great State and the wonderful scape Scale Restoration Program. Creek and Bald Mountain fires, the Red people in it. The first meaningful step that can be Cross was overwhelmed. Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I made to ensure that we can mitigate Now, Mr. Speaker, you might assume thank the gentleman from Utah for his the frequency and intensity of wildfires that that being overwhelmed came be- comments, and especially for his lead- next year is for the farm bill con- cause of the 6,000 evacuees who needed ership on this important issue, bring- ference committee to include these for- a home. But, in reality, the Red Cross ing the knowledge of local government estry provisions within the final con- was overwhelmed because the list of here to this House to help us deal with ference report. Otherwise, next year’s people coming into the shelter offering this devastating situation out west. wildfires, sadly, may be larger than homes was longer than the list of peo- At this time, Mr. Speaker, I yield to this year’s and will be the result of this ple needing homes. The Red Cross had the gentleman from Arizona, Mr. PAUL Congress. to close shop. GOSAR, for his comments on wildfires. Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I As a matter of fact, Mr. Speaker, I Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I thank thank the gentleman from Arizona for visited the Red Cross shelter and found the gentleman from Montana for orga- his principled approach to getting re- a sign on the door that said, ‘‘Please, nizing this tonight. form so we can start managing our for- no more donations.’’ They had too Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring ests again. many donations from Utahans. this Chamber’s attention to the mul- At this time, Mr. Speaker, I yield to This is not the first time the Red titude of wildfires that have devastated the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Cross has had to close shop early. The the Western United States. THOMPSON), for his comments on people of Utah go out of their way to Now, Mr. Speaker, the West is on fire wildfires. help others. As usual, Utah stepped up and has been on fire since April of this Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. in the face of tragedy, and I plan to year. This has undoubtedly been one of Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his leadership. I congratulate him on work to prevent future catastrophic the worst wildfire seasons in recent some great legislation that was passed events like this. memory. Before I came to Congress, I was Last month, more than 100 active out of the Natural Resources Com- mayor for 8 years. I understand how fires scorched nearly 2 million acres, mittee earlier today, which I know will be extremely important to the citizens overwhelming it can be to coordinate killed at least 12 people, and caused who are lucky to have him as their disaster response, recovery, and man- hundreds of millions of dollars in prop- erty damage. As of today, more than 75 Representative. age the daily operations of a commu- Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be here wildfires continue to burn throughout nity. this evening. As vice chair of the Agri- In my district, many small towns and the United States. culture Committee and as a former cities are overcome with challenges as Wildfires are getting worse, in fact, chair of the House Forestry Sub- in the United States just as they are they work out confusing jurisdictional committee and a proud member of the getting better in more similarly ad- responsibilities of the State and Fed- Western Caucus—I always say I am on vanced nations. A study published in eral Government, on top of actively re- the eastern frontier of the Western Science last year found that the building and preparing for the after- Caucus, being from Pennsylvania, but math of the wildfires. amount of acreage burning globally has we have the same issues. We really do. To help in this effort, last week, I declined by 25 percent over the past 18 I have a national forest, one of the convened a group of mayors, county years, irrespective of climate and tem- more profitable national forests in the commissioners, State representatives, perature variability. The study’s find- country, but facing a lot of the issues: and emergency personnel so that local ings point to day-to-day human fac- rural communities, school districts leaders could have direct access to the tors, especially land management, as that are dependent on secure rural Federal Government, share resources, the most consequential determinants schools, and just so many issues—en- and prepare for what comes next. I of wildfire acreage burned. ergy production, development—and so I stand committed to helping our com- Substantial research and common am proud to be here this evening on an munities obtain the resources they sense continue to suggest that an im- issue that is incredibly important, an need to rebuild their homes, busi- prudent combination of prematurely issue that impacts the lives of so many nesses, and prevent further damage. extinguished spontaneous small burns and heavily impacts our Western We can all agree that managing our preventing controlled burns and lim- States. forest is critical. While we won’t pre- iting brush, hazardous fuel, and timber I am honored to represent Pennsyl- vent every fire, we need forest manage- thinning to near-negligible amounts is vania, obviously, and as some have de- ment reforms to reduce the risk of producing tinderbox-like conditions in scribed our forest, Mr. Speaker, as as- fires. I have already started this dis- our forests, conditions that overdeter- bestos forest in Pennsylvania, probably cussion with my colleagues in Wash- mine the eventual outcome of cata- because of the 90-some-thousand miles ington. strophic wildfire. of streams that we have. We have plen- Last week, I spoke with the interim Our misguided land management as- ty of moisture. I wish we could put a Chief of the Forest Service, and today sumptions, practices, and policies have bunch of that water in a pipeline and I met with Secretary Perdue, who over- ended up as a highly significant factor sell it to you. We would send it your di- sees the U.S. Department of Agri- in ensuring our country’s experience rection. culture, which includes the Forest with wildfires is worse than that of But as it is, while the devastating Service. Both of these conversations fo- similarly situated peers. The sad truth impact on our forests is invasive spe- cused on how to best manage our for- is that mismanagement has left our cies—that is a subject for another ests and prevent similar fires from hap- forests vulnerable to insects and dis- evening—I can tell you, when the pening in the future. ease ripe for catastrophic wildfires. wildfires occur in States such as Utah, As a member of the House Committee That is why the Western Caucus led Montana, Colorado, and throughout on Natural Resources, I look forward efforts to pass a strong forestry title in the West, California, these devastating to advancing policies that protect lives the farm bill. The House base bill in- wildfires, there is a large sucking and protect property throughout Utah. cludes 10 categorical exclusions that sound, as I like to describe it, out of As we look ahead to preventing these allow for active management of our my national forest, and it comes in the catastrophic wildfires, let’s not forget Nation’s forests and critical response. form of resources, money that is taken the value of our local officials and On September 13, a letter spear- away because of the necessity that I their roles in forest management deci- headed by the Western Caucus from 40 support of having to fight those fires.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:44 Sep 27, 2018 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00196 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K26SE7.131 H26SEPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with HOUSE September 26, 2018 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H9085 b 2015 such as management, timbering, and Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. It We also have personnel that are de- even recreation and research activities. really is. ployed out of my national forest. So Now, along with fixing the budget Mr. Speaker, our watersheds, most of that means that our timber, the money cap, the omnibus currently provides our water sources start—many of them for our timber marketing, and har- the Forest Service with new manage- start in national forests. They are cer- vesting, and the multi-use comes al- ment authorities, and these reforms tainly in forests, but a lot of national most to a screeching halt. are specifically intended to help the forests. And with wildfires, you create So I am pleased with the leadership Forest Service better manage and a situation where there is no stability that we have done, in both the Natural proactively prevent forest fires from in the soils. And so where these won- Resources Committee and the Agri- breaking out. derful trout streams, streams that sup- Specifically, these new authorities culture Committee, to address this port life, support communities, support will streamline the environmental issue. As vice chair of the Agriculture families with clean water, these analysis, reduce litigation, and provide Committee, I am proud of the Forestry wildfires, they basically caramelize timber harvest contract certainty. Title of the House farm bill. It contains that soil so that, essentially, the flash Some of these reforms include, within a number of reforms intended to pro- flooding, the runoffs, it puts all these our proposed farm bill—which we are in vide the Forest Service and our private solids within those streams, it creates conference in right now, and we need foresters with more authorities and turbidity, the solids, the nutrients that the Senate to realize these improve- flexibilities to help better manage; go in there. ments were based on the successes we that is both in increasing timber pro- So the impact of wildfires, as the had in the last farm bill, which has gentleman said, it is the land, it is the duction, but it is also in managing a really helped our forest products indus- air and, quite frankly, it is the water, forest that is healthy and, therefore, try, our timber industry, helped make and that is why we have to do a better managing the understory, the fuel load our forests more healthy; and when job of preventing these wildfires to that has built up over decades of mis- they are healthy, they are more resil- start with. management. ient to wildfires. By providing new authorities and en- So it includes: Categorical Exclu- Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I couraging new timber markets, we do sions for Wildfire Resilience Projects; thank the gentleman from Pennsyl- that in a number of ways, Mr. Speaker. Healthy Forest Restoration Act inclu- vania for his comments. The bill encourages active forest man- sion of Fire and Fuel Breaks; 20-year This past summer, nearly 7.7 million agement. We reauthorize the Land- Stewardship Contracts; Cottonwood acres have burned across America. scape Scale Restoration Program, and Reform; Fire Hazard Mapping Initia- Wildfires consumed thousands of acres that allows for more partnerships to tive; Fuels Management for Protection in Glacier National Park. tackle critical challenges such as for- of Electric Transmission Lines; and The Howe Ridge Fire in Glacier Na- est health, and wildfires, as well as Good Neighbor Authority Road Amend- tional Park consumed over 14,000 acres. drinking water protection. ment. I was there. I saw the devastation. It The bill supports, in many ways, Forest fires do not recognize or re- destroyed homes on the shores of Lake these types of initiatives but, specifi- spect boundaries. If they start in a na- McDonald. These are historic national cally, on the wildfires, Mr. Speaker. tional forest, they are going to wind up buildings, lost to fire. Over the past 2 decades, wildfires have in State forests, they are going to wind Last year in Glacier National Park been an increasing challenge for the up on private property land. as well we lost Sperry Chalet, which Forest Service as costs have sky- So we are doing all the right things. also had historic value and had created rocketed to fight them. I am very pleased, and we need to do memories for thousands of tourists who Since 1995, the Forest Service’s an- this. had visited that facility. nual wildfire budget has increased from When I look at the communities, Our courageous firefighting efforts 13 percent of the budget to nearly 60 such as the ones that the gentleman did save the main Wheeler cabin, with percent of the budget, Mr. Speaker. from Montana represent, as a result of great effort. It even threatened the Last year was the costliest fire year on wildfires, we see a loss of life; we see a Going-to-the-Sun Road. I met with the record, with the Forest Service spend- loss of homes; a loss of the economy; a incident commanders there and the ing $2.4 billion in 2017 alone. loss of the taxpayer-owned assets, brave firefighters at the Howe Ridge Year after year, the agency runs out whether it is national forests or State Fire. of fire funding, forcing it to draw addi- forests; and certainly a loss of assets Last summer, we saw similar behav- tional funds from non-fire accounts and for those private property owners that ior. Nearly 8.5 million acres burned in other forests, national forests, includ- have forests. ing to cover basic operational and for- So I thank the gentleman for his our country last year. In Montana est management funds that pay for leadership on this topic and issue, and alone, last summer, Mr. Speaker, we timbering, and research activities, and I really appreciate his managing this lost 1.25 million acres. even proactive fire prevention. Special Order this evening on a very Just to put that in perspective, 1.2 Unfortunately, this occurs because important topic of wildfires. million acres is the equivalent of the the Forest Service has been unable to Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I entire State of Delaware, burned in access additional funding when the fire want to thank the gentleman from Montana last summer. And I saw the funds runs out due to a budget cap. Pennsylvania, especially that he is a destruction firsthand. I was on five of Now, finally, the 2018 omnibus in- member of the Western Caucus joining these fires, visiting with the incident cluded a ‘‘fire borrowing fix’’ by cre- us there, and pointing out the national commanders, and seeing devastation. ating a wildfire cap adjustment, which implications of the massive wildfires In one county alone, we burned will treat wildfires like any other nat- we have out west on resources back 270,000 acres, and we had over 60,000 ural disasters; just like we saw down in east; on the forests that you have in cattle with no grass. Fortunately, we the Carolinas with Hurricane Florence. Pennsylvania and the resources there. were able to work with the Department Now this change will free up the For- Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. of the Interior to get retired grazing al- est Service to fight wildfires and do so Nationwide impact. lotments in the C.M. Russell opened up without transferring funds from non- Mr. GIANFORTE. The gentleman to fill that need for those ranchers, but fire accounts. These are accounts that mentioned many of the things that— those livelihoods were suspended. help to prevent fires with restorative the livelihoods, the lives. You know, The habitats were destroyed. Smoke cuts, and managing the understory, the other thing that we often neglect is hangs in the air. My own driveway in dealing with the fuel load, the standing the amount of smoke that is dis- Bozeman, Montana, on mornings when dead timber because of, perhaps, dis- charged into the air and the effect on the fires are burning the worst, we ease. people with asthma and other lung come out to cars covered with ash that For forests around the Nation, espe- issues. I am sure many, many have died we have to brush off before we can cially in the East, this will mean more as a result in our communities, so it is drive them. The air quality is dan- funding for other essential activities a public safety issue as well. gerous and unhealthy.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:44 Sep 27, 2018 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00197 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K26SE7.134 H26SEPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with HOUSE H9086 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE September 26, 2018 And even where there weren’t fires, disrupt lynx habitat. A judge over- Montana can’t afford for Congress to we saw smoke from the tragic, destruc- turned the permit, and that summer, continue kicking the can down the tive California fires that filled our that entire forest burned. road and let important projects be tied skies in Montana. And, Mr. Speaker, there is no lynx up in unnecessary, frivolous litigation. As bad as the wildfires have been, I habitat anymore. There is no habitat This is an urgent issue, and we need to have seen the impact of properly man- for any animal there because that for- address it quickly. aged forests. This year, when I was at est is gone. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my col- the Glacier National Park fire, it was The House did take action this past leagues bringing to the attention of interesting to me, as the incident com- year. We passed the Resilient Federal this Chamber the wildfires and the manders explained what they were Forests Act that Congressman need for forest management reform. doing there. It turns out there were WESTERMAN of Arkansas authored and I The House has offered commonsense four fires being managed, all started by cosponsored. It would get us back into solutions to get us back to managing the same lightning storm, through our forests, managing them again. Un- our forests. The evidence shows that a lightning strikes. fortunately, the Senate, tied up with properly managed forest is a healthier Three of those fires started in na- obstruction, didn’t act on it. forest. We have less severe wildfires. I tional forests where there had been But we have made progress. Back have seen this firsthand in the field. hazardous fuel reductions. The forest earlier this spring, we overturned the Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the efforts had been managed. One started in a na- Cottonwood decision, which has been of Mr. WESTERMAN, who has been a tional park, and it was such a stark ex- used as a tool to invalidate existing leader on the issue and a forester by ample to me to see that the three fires forest management permits. We have training, and my colleagues who know that had been started by the same been cutting red tape to accelerate the the destruction of a catastrophic wild- storm in the national forests where removal of hazardous fuels. fire brings us to know how critical it is there had been hazardous fuel reduc- The Forest Service estimates that 6.3 to deliver meaningful reforms. tion, on the day I was there, had been billion dead and dying trees are across Like my colleagues, I urge the Sen- constrained to two to 300 acres each. 11 States. I know in my own home ate to act on commonsense measures And yet, the one that started in a na- State, in our State capital, Helena, this Chamber has sent so that Mon- tanans can spend the summer in their tional park was burning over 10,000 Montana, if you drive west into the forests enjoying them, not having to acres. Lewis and Clark Forest, you can look Now I am not advocating to go log breathe them at home. at a hillside and, in some cases, be- Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance our national parks, just to be very cause the forests have not been man- of my time. clear. But it is a stark example of the aged and they have overgrown, nearly impact. 90 percent of the trees are standing. It f I have been in eastern Montana, is a tinderbox waiting to go up in PUBLICATION OF BUDGETARY southeast of Miles City, and I have flames. MATERIAL seen where the BLM has done forest We have also reformed how we pay REVISIONS TO THE STATEMENT OF COMMITTEE management. I saw a situation where a for catastrophic fires. This was fixed ALLOCATIONS, AGGREGATES, AND OTHER fire had burned through a landscape also earlier this year, through legisla- BUDGETARY LEVELS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2019 and, in an area where there had been tion in this House, and it was signed HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, no forest management, no fuels reduc- into law, that will allow us to treat COMMITTEE ON THE BUDGET, tion, no thinning of the forest, the fire large fires just like we do large hurri- Washington, DC. burned so hot that, even years later, it canes when they exceed budgets, be- Mr. Speaker, I hereby submit for printing still looked like a moonscape. Nothing cause the cost of these fires has ex- in the Congressional Record a revision to the was growing. allocations set forth in the Statement of panded so much, it is consuming the Committee Allocations, Aggregates, and And yet, when it hit the managed majority of the U.S. Forest Service Other Budgetary Levels for Fiscal Year 2019 forest, where the forest had been budget. published in the Congressional Record on thinned, the fire quickly dropped into Mr. Speaker, last year, forest fire- May 10, 2018 pursuant to section 30104 of the the underbrush, burned the grass and fighting costs consumed 55 percent of Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (Public Law twigs, but not a single tree was lost. A the Forest Service budget. 115–123). The revision is for new budget au- year later, that forest was healthier thority and outlays for provisions designated 2030 than it was, and yet, the forest that b for Overseas Contingency Operations/Global had burned completely will not recover That takes away money for trail War on Terrorism and program integrity ini- maintenance and recreational pro- tiatives pursuant to section 251(b) of the Bal- in our generation. This is a stark ex- anced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control ample. grams. It is consumed in fighting these Act of 1985 (BBEDCA), contained in the con- In other areas, where forest manage- fires. ference report to accompany H.R. 6157, the ment has been done, where trees have We have also added some provisions Department of Defense and Labor, Health been thinned, the water comes back to the farm bill which is now in con- and Human Services, and Education Appro- into the streams again, the surface ference, adding Good Neighbor Au- priations Act, 2019 and Continuing Appro- thorities, extending that capability for priations Act, 2019. water. These are healthier habitats. The Statement of Committee Allocations, So there are many benefits of a prop- categorical exclusions down to county Aggregates, and Other Budgetary Levels for erly managed forest. We get more wild- commissioners and local government Fiscal Year 2019 set the base discretionary life. There is more habitat. There is so that they can be involved in making 302(a) allocation to the Committee on Appro- more opportunity for sportsmen and our forests healthier. priations at $1.244 trillion, which is the sum women. We have more recreational op- We have also provided for expedited of the fiscal year 2019 discretionary spending portunities. You can gain access to the salvage operations so we can cut dead limits under section 251(c) of BBEDCA. Sec- forests again. We have good-paying and dying trees at landscape size with- tion 251(b) of BBEDCA allows for adjust- timber jobs. Wildfires are less severe, out the frivolous litigation shutting ments to the discretionary spending limits for certain purposes including Overseas Con- and the health of our communities are down these projects. tingency Operations/Global War on Ter- not threatened. Mr. Speaker, it is time to act. We rorism, disaster relief, and program integrity One of the biggest problems is litiga- can’t control the weather, but we can initiatives. tion. We need more collaborative control how we manage our forests. It The conference report to accompany H.R. projects, but litigation is one of the is time to reform how we manage our 6157 contains $67.9 billion in budget author- greatest obstacles to managing our for- forests by passing commonsense forest ity for Overseas Contingency Operations/ ests. A good example is the Stonewall management reform. We need to reduce Global War on Terrorism and $1.9 billion in the severity of the wildfires. We need budget authority for program integrity ini- Vegetation Project in Lincoln, Mon- tiatives. Accordingly, I am revising the allo- tana. I toured that site. to get our forests healthy again. cation of spending authority to the House It took 8 years to get a permit to This is good for wildlife. It is good for Committee on Appropriations. After making thin the forest, and then the lawyers recreationists. It is good for hunting. It this adjustment, the conference report to ac- swooped in, arguing the project would creates good-paying jobs in our mills. company H.R. 6157 is within the fiscal year

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