The current federal system continues to prioritize fighting fires. Although the need to suppress fires is never going to go away, we must shift priority towards pro-active management.

It is time for a paradigm shift in restoring our landscape so that national forests can once again meet the purposes for which they were established.

Our forests have been mismanaged for a long time, and it is way past due to change our strategy.

Our ecosystems are suffocating. Where we once had 10 to 25 trees per acre, we now have hundreds.

I thank Chairman Bishop for holding today's hearing and for cosponsoring my bill, the Catastrophic Wildfire Prevention Act of 2012 (H.R. 5744).

It is clear that the process of planning, studying, consulting, litigating, appealing, and collaborating are failing us in our forests.

We need to remove the volume of fuels that these forests are adding to themselves at a rate of 30% each year.

I appreciate the gentleman, and I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar). The amendment was agreed to.

The President made it clear that his goal was to increase costs for people who work and mine coal.

government, a lot of times, is the problem. It is called that knee jerk reaction.

I am not here to reward bad behavior, because that is what you are eliciting here.

Is this based on faulty science or real science?