Bruce Westerman: “My amendment is simple. It calls for the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management to report back on the…”

“My amendment is simple. It calls for the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management to report back on the progress they are making to address the problem of catastrophic wildfires, a problem that has continued to get worse year after year under the current program. Our current forest management process took decades of mismanagement, inaction, and neglect to create. We have essentially slowly and methodically loved our trees to death on much of our Federal lands. It will take decades to reverse the effects this mismanagement has had on our forests, during which time we will likely see more major, devastating wildfires. This amendment simply requires our Federal agencies addressing this issue to report back on how they are doing, not only so Congress can provide oversight on their progress but so the American people can know how their Federal Government is doing so that we can measure, monitor, and demand accountability. Mr. Chairman, I think I speak for this entire Chamber when I say that our goal is to reduce the effects of wildfires and be transparent for the American people each step of the way. My amendment promotes transparency and accountability as we work towards this goal. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman).…”