Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I rise today to speak in support of H.R. 1873--the Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act. North Carolina is home to four national forests that offer visitors and residents access to incredible scenery, wildlife, and a wide variety of recreational activities. In my district in Western North Carolina, American Forestry management has its roots in the Pisgah National Forest: The Cradle of Forestry, the very first forestry school in the country, is located there. Proper forestry management is a part of North Carolina's history that we hope to pass on to for our future generations to come. I commend my colleagues, Reps. Doug LaMalfa and Kurt Schrader, for identifying a problem and for providing a common-sense solution to make vegetation management in national forests easier. Managing vegetation around power lines is important for ensuring electric grid reliability, and for keeping overgrown and falling trees from interfering with nearby power lines which can cause blackouts, wildfires, and other safety hazards. This bill would ensure utility companies, who are responsible for vegetation management near power lines on federal lands, are no longer delayed by bureaucratic red tape and inconsistent federal standards between agencies. With the passage of this bill, we will be a step closer to providing expedited forestry management plan approval, while also giving utility companies the authority to remove hazardous debris in emergency situations. Mr.…”