On the recordFebruary 12, 2020
As stated, this amendment allows the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture to manage for fire, insects, or disease the wilderness areas designated by this act. Again, I am not opposed to that, but I just want to point out in real life what really happens. Many wilderness areas are overgrown and suffer from insect infestations. We have already talked about that. That contributes significantly to uncontrollable wildfires that really don't respect manmade boundaries very well. In wilderness areas, the reality is that fires are allowed to continue, and they are only suppressed once they leave that wilderness boundary. That is a particular bummer for wildlife. We haven't talked about what happens in those situations, that wildlife is often decimated by this type of activity. The other thing I just want to point out is that mechanized fire mitigation tools are banned in wilderness areas for anybody, including the Department of the Interior, Department of Agriculture, or the Forest Service. That is another thing that is bothersome about all of this is that, when we make these designations, we throw out the commonsense ability to use appropriate tools when there are problems. Again, we are in support of this amendment, but it will do nothing to improve the conditions in these wilderness areas. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
