Earl Blumenauer: “Mr. Speaker, I caught a note common to both my friend, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio), and my friend, the…”

“Mr. Speaker, I caught a note common to both my friend, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio), and my friend, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth), that this is too important to play politics. There is much divergence on opinion in terms of forest health. There are those in the environmental community that would point out that heavily logged areas actually are those that have suffered most in firefighting. But there are many areas of agreement. The Democratic substitute captures those areas of agreement. It would focus funding and fire protection activity where it is needed most, in the sensitive interface surrounding communities. It would require that 85 percent of the funding be spent in and around those same communities and water supplies. It keeps the activities out of the controversial areas, like the roadless areas and old-growth forests. It shortens the appeals process but does not shut out the public or tamper with judicial review. Most importantly, it starts rebuilding trust between the many parties that are constantly at odds regarding policies regarding public land. We need to start rebuilding a sense of confidence and trust that we can work together to solve problems. This Democratic substitute would do so.”