On the recordJune 25, 2015
I would like to thank Chairman Calvert and Ranking Member McCollum for their collaborative efforts in putting together this bill that carefully and thoughtfully allocates limited resources in order to conserve and restore our Nation's precious natural resources. As you know, States across the Nation, especially those in the West, face widespread drought and deteriorating forest health conditions, all of which increase the risk of catastrophic wildfires and the tragic loss of life and property. Furthermore, these forest health conditions and the wildfires wreak havoc on species habitat; recreational economies; critical infrastructure; and clean, abundant water supplies. In 2014, the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior agencies spent over $1.5 million in fire suppression costs to combat fires on more than $3.5 million acres of private, State, and Federal lands. These suppression costs will only continue to rise if we do not appropriately address the critical issues of wildfire preparation, including hazardous fuel management activities. For far too long, we have been addressing the problem after the fact. That course of action has led to decades of declining healthy forests and a staggering increase in the occurrence of catastrophic wildfires, putting people, communities, and ecosytems at risk. In fiscal year 2015, Congress provided a $75 million increase for hazardous fuels management.…
