Katie Porter: “The National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, and litigation are not the reason that we have catastrophic wildfires.…”

“The National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, and litigation are not the reason that we have catastrophic wildfires. In fact, a 2020 study showed that only one out of every 450 NEPA reviews are ever challenged in court. Plus, the Forest Service already conducts over 85 percent of its work through existing categorical exclusions, which allows proceeding without a NEPA environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement. The reality is that the Forest Service has a wide range of tools and policies designed to expedite the forest management projects. Here is the actual problem: The Forest Service is chronically underfunded. Gaps in funding are directly tied to project delays and management challenges across the agency. A review conducted by the ``Columbia Journal of Environmental Law'' found that many sources of delay attributed to NEPA are caused by external factors, and they point to inadequate staffing, insufficient funding, and delays of obtaining information from permittees. The Forest Service doesn't need us to roll back our environmental laws. It needs sustainable funding and additional staff capacity. However, the Republicans who keep voting against that funding would rather scapegoat our environmental laws and the public's right to access the courthouse. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.”