Jay Obernolte: “Last year, my home State of California experienced the worst year for wildfires in the entire history of the State. As…”

“Last year, my home State of California experienced the worst year for wildfires in the entire history of the State. As of this morning, the Oak Fire is burning just outside my district. It has consumed over 100 homes and displaced tens of thousands of people. Science tells us that the only way to reduce the intensity of these wildfires is to reduce the density of the fuels through either mechanical thinning or prescribed burns. But unfortunately, this bill makes the situation even worse by locking up over 58 million new acres of forest with a wilderness designation that would prevent the use of mechanical thinning or prescribed burns to reduce the density of the fuels. This bill is called the Wildfire Response Act, but, Madam Chair, our response to wildfires cannot be to take actions that make future wildfires even more destructive. I urge a ``no'' vote.”