Tom Tancredo: “The last two fire seasons have been devastating for the American West. Millions of acres in States like Arizona, Nevada…”

“The last two fire seasons have been devastating for the American West. Millions of acres in States like Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and Colorado have been reduced to charcoal by catastrophic wildfire. By most estimates, an additional 73 million acres at the very least remain at extreme high risk to catastrophic wildfire. To put that in perspective, 73 million acres is an area larger than the State of Arizona. Central to reducing the threat that these unnatural fires pose to communities, water quality and wildlife is restoring our densely packed forests to a more natural state. To do that, we must thin our forests. Mr. Chairman, I believe that the Healthy Forests bill we passed earlier this year will go a long way towards streamlining the 'analysis paralysis' that has prevented our land managers from reducing the threat of wildfire in our overstocked forest. But in order to carry out more thinning projects, the Forest Service needs additional funds. I want to give them an opportunity to put their money where their mouths are. If adopted, my amendment would transfer $57 million to the Forest Service for thinning operations from the National Endowment for the Arts.”