On the recordNovember 2, 2023
I want to be clear. I fully support hazardous fuels reduction activities at the BLM. I am so sorry for the wildfires that have occurred in Colorado and in so many other States across our Nation. I come from the most forested State in the Nation, the State of Maine. We know how important good forest management is. We know how important this is, but I absolutely do not support the offset. The EPA has already been cut by 39 percent, and further cuts to its core programs will only embolden polluters and weaken the safety of our water and air. We could easily fund both things, the EPA and forest management at the Forest Service, if the majority had produced their bills at levels that were agreed upon and passed into law in the Fiscal Responsibility Act. If my colleagues across the aisle are serious about managing hazardous fuels at BLM, it would have been fully funded in the base bill. Mr. Chair, I oppose this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.
