Paul Gosar

I believe that not all the pieces were put into place in a timely fashion to be able to start the project.

We are putting these intense loads of fire fuel, and we are burning it at such an intense heat that it is actually sterilizing soil.

So it is not just about bark beetles, it is about cankers and blights.

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.

I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR (Mr. Chaffetz). The Clerk will report the amendment. The Clerk read as follows: At the end of the bill (before the short title), add the following: Sec. __. None of the funds made available…

The longer it stands, the bigger the problem?

Trust is a series of promises kept, and I don't see the Federal Government keeping their promises one iota.

In an effort to provide efficiencies to the regulatory process for reducing fuel loads on federal lands, Congressman Gosar introduced the Catastrophic Wildfire Prevention Act of 2012.

H.R. 5744 was introduced by Congressman Gosar (AZ) to address the forest health, public safety, and wildlife habitat threats presented by the risk of wildfire.

I urge you to ensure that federal agencies maintain the flexibility to undertake projects based on the best scientific information available.

The Department opposes the bill's wilderness study area provision and the provisions that change ESA.

This common sense approach has garnered strong bipartisan support.

Forest thinning works!

That is why I introduced the Catastrophic Wildfire Prevention Act of 2012.

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.

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

Our ecosystems are suffocating.

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

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

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

First, my thoughts and prayers continue to go out to our constituents who have suffered from catastrophic wildfires.

I thank Mr. Tipton and Mr. Gosar for their hard work, as well as Ranking Member Markey for his recognition of the need for a more active approach to our forest resources.

We need to thin the trees. We do not need more 'experiments' or more 'pilots' to tell us what the problem is.

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

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.