During a House Natural Resources Committee markup meeting before the Congressional recess, Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR) spoke about legislation that would change the management of wildfires.
00:00Chair notes the presence of a quorum pursuant to committee rules, members of the committee may
00:04submit written opening statements for the record, ask that members may revise and extend the remarks
00:10on the bills to be considered at this markup and have those remarks included in the record
00:15without objection. So ordered, without objection, I'm authorized to declare a recess of the committee
00:20at any time. Pursuant to committee rule 3i, the chair announces that I may postpone further
00:26proceedings today on the question of approving any measure or matter or adopting an amendment
00:30on which a recorded vote is offered. I now recognize myself for an opening statement.
00:37Good morning and thank you for joining us for this full committee markup. Today we have a great
00:42lineup of legislation for consideration that will help us restore common sense to wildfire
00:47suppression and forest management and unlock our public lands and more. As this Congress began,
00:56we saw horrific wildfires rage in Southern California, serving as a clear reminder that
01:01we have no time to waste. As I've said before, unlike hurricanes or tornadoes, wildfires can
01:06actually be prevented with proper forest management. We must come together and pass the long overdue
01:12reforms that turn the tide against our current wildfire crisis. Earlier this year, the committee
01:18acted in a bipartisan manner, passing the bipartisan Fix Our Forest Act by an overwhelming margin.
01:24This committee is committed to advancing legislation that will restore the health of our nation's
01:29forest. We'll have another opportunity to advance common sense forest management reform today.
01:35H.R. 178, introduced by Representative McClintock, requires U.S. Forest Service and Department of the
01:40Interior to use all available resources to extinguish a fire within 24 hours of detection. This legislation
01:48could not be timelier as we continue to watch the Dragon Bravo Fire near the north rim of the Grand Canyon.
01:55It's burned thousands of acres. It's destroyed historic, cherished lodges and buildings, and it's already racked up
02:03hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. While this fire is alarming, what we don't realize is that the National Park Service's
02:11monitoring of this fire is allowed and is standard practice by federal land managers across the country.
02:18In fact, on July 14th, two days after the Dragon Bravo Fire exploded, the National Interagency Fire Center reported
02:26that across the country, an additional 78 fires are being carefully managed using strategies beyond full suppression.
02:33Given the hot and dry conditions that exist across the west, this is 78 fires too many. In times like these, the goal should be to put out the fires.
02:43H.R. 179, also introduced by Representative McClintock, expands a successful 10,000-acre categorical exclusion in the Tahoe Basin to apply nationwide.
02:53In the words of Gwen Sanchez, the Forest Supervisor for the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, the forest management work done under the CE is the gold standard of fuels treatment and should be modeled across the country.
03:07Both of these bills also support and help advance President Trump's Executive Order 14308, empowering common sense wildfire prevention and response,
03:16which restores common sense to wildfire suppression and force management on all levels of government.
03:23H.R. 839, introduced by Congressman Arrington, prohibits the implementation, administration, and enforcement of the Biden administration's plan
03:30to increase the size of the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge.
03:35The plan part of the previous administration's 30-by-30 initiative, or the plan was part of the 30-by-30 initiative,
03:43and if fully implemented, would result in a 100-fold increase in the size of the refuge,
03:49a significant loss in local tax revenues for the community,
03:52and increased management responsibilities for the National Wildlife Refuge System,
03:56at a time when the system already faces $2 billion in maintenance backlog.
04:02Finally, we will consider 11 UC bills on which we have reached a bipartisan agreement.
04:07These bills include creating a fee-free day for all on our public lands in honor of America's 250th birthday,
04:14supporting ocean monitoring activities, and establishing a wildfire research institute in Utah.
04:20Before I yield back, I would like to recognize and thank Anique Miller for her distinguished service to the Committee on Natural Resources.
04:28Anique serves as Staff Director for the Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Subcommittee,
04:33and has been with the Committee for over six years.
04:36Her leadership and tireless efforts have resulted in numerous legislative accomplishments,
04:42including the ACE Act, the Beach Act, the Klamath Basin Water Agreement Support Act,
04:47the Fishes Act, the Explore Act, and many, many more.
04:51Anique is one of the most knowledgeable staffers on Capitol Hill,
04:54and she has been instrumental in the success of the Committee.
04:58She is also a tremendous mentor, manager, and teammate who is always up for a challenge
05:02and there to support her co-workers.
05:05Next month, Anique will be moving on to a new opportunity,
05:09and although she is leaving, she will always be team resources.
05:14We wish Anique, her husband Adam, and her daughter Emma the very best.
05:18Thank you, Anique, for your steadfast service and commitment to the Committee on Natural Resources
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