On the recordJuly 26, 2022
I thank Mr. Neguse for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, today's rule provides for consideration of three bills, three bills that are unnecessarily partisan, but that is where we are. The first bill, H.R. 5118, attempts to address the wildfires raging across the country. Calendar year 2022 is shaping up to be the most destructive wildfire year on record. To date, 5 million acres in the United States have been ravaged by forest fires. Concerningly, risk projections compiled by the United States Forest Service have assessed that large swaths of the country will remain under the threat of wildfires for the remainder of this year. Forest fires are responsible for the destruction of lives and property. They are responsible for the degradation of our air and water quality and the destruction of vibrant natural ecosystems and wildlife. They are also responsible for billions of dollars in damages to States and individuals. Perhaps the most distressing component of the proliferation in intensity of forest fires is that some forest fires are entirely preventable. A major contributor is decades of poor forest management that have exacerbated forest fires. Environmental activists and their allies have made routine forest management all but impossible. Their campaign of legal obstruction has directly contributed to the current wildfire and forest health crisis.…
