Political Quotes

“I thank the distinguished gentleman from Colorado for yielding, and I thank this body for recognizing the cruciality of where we are today as it relates to fires. I know the gentleman's territory, but many people might not know that Texas also is impacted by wildfires. So, I rise in strong support for H.R. 5118, the Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act for many reasons. One, I support my firefighters. As anyone has seen firefighters who fight these fires being interviewed, they are in the midst of the fire. As anyone has heard the families that look and say there is nothing here; but for firefighters, I would not be here. So Houston is no stranger to these weather conditions. Fifty-one trillion gallons of water fell from Hurricane Harvey, yet wildfires are another type of extreme weather that imperils our community, and it is attributable to climate change, as Hurricane Harvey was. Wildfires are often unplanned fires, which burn in a natural area such as a forest. Along with the destruction and loss of forests caused by blazes, there are immediate and long-term environmental impacts that dramatically affect vital resources. Expanded areas of high-severity fire can impact tree regeneration, soil erosion, and water quality, and, yes, the quality of life. It can cause major destruction of property and loss of life, and this legislation is a recognition of attempting to address this question and address it now. The CHAIR.…”