On the recordJuly 29, 2022
As it stands now, this bill will make a vast swath of land inaccessible, making it harder for wildfires to respond. This bill's approach to wildfires is backwards. The people of Montana and across the West have seen too many fires scorch homes, businesses, and forests. It has destroyed air quality, water quality, and fisheries. They appreciate the bravery of the responding firefighters, but I believe many would prefer never to see the wildfires in the first place. My amendment would have addressed root causes of wildfires by clarifying language in statute that allows radical environmentalists to delay the harvest of timber as per the Cottonwood decision, which has made proper forest management near impossible. The Cottonwood decision has delayed forest planning, wildfire mitigation efforts, and ultimately weaponized the Endangered Species Act, allowing special interest groups to line up like pigs at the trough, lapping up legal fees and settlements, stripping valuable resources from agencies and keeping them from carrying out their mission. In closing, I will say that I am appalled that Democrats will not consider the commonsense amendments like mine, which would allow these mitigation efforts to take place.
