On the recordNovember 1, 2017
I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the rule for H.R. 2936, the Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017. This bill is a commonsense, thoughtful approach to restore our forests and minimize forest fire risk. First and foremost, I thank Representative Westerman for understanding the need for these vital reforms. He has been a great partner to work with and has a keen understanding of how to restore our forests. This bill contains a number of needed reforms, but, in particular, H.R. 2936 will put an end to obstructionist litigation that has been paralyzing the ability of the Forest Service to manage their own land for years. The legislation creates an arbitration pilot program that requires anyone suing to block a forest management activity to produce an alternative solution, providing effective resolutions to problems rather than frivolous litigant activity. The bill also puts a limit on the amount of taxpayer dollars that can go to pay legal fees of obstructionist groups when they sue to stop management. It seems that every year we have a longer, more devastating fire season. In my home State of California this year, it has been particularly devastating in both lives and land lost. These fires demand that we act, and we need to act now, to fix our forest management. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for his leadership on this issue. One last thing: Go Dodgers.
