Sam Gibbons: “it is summertime, and out West it is the height of the fire season. Every day we ask our brave fire fighters to risk…”

“it is summertime, and out West it is the height of the fire season. Every day we ask our brave fire fighters to risk their lives to put out these dangerous blazes. Unfortunately, their job is made more difficult primarily due to extreme environmental groups. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that nearly half of the 2002 projects to reduce wildfires and wildfire risks have been blocked by lawsuits brought by these same extreme environmental groups. These delays have significantly slowed efforts to remove the tinder-dry overgrowth out of our Federal forests and contributed greatly to the West's worst fire year on record. With half of the fire season left, more than 3 million acres have been lost to forest fires and wildfires, lost for all Americans to enjoy, lost for 100 years to come. Today, the Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health of the Committee on Resources will hold a hearing to address this issue. We need to find a way to end the misguided crusade against responsible forest management. Only then will we be able to prevent destructive wildfires that decimate our national forests.”