Bob Goodlatte: “This bill addresses not just fire hazards. Do not forget we have a very evil beetle out there, and these beetles go out…”

“This bill addresses not just fire hazards. Do not forget we have a very evil beetle out there, and these beetles go out there, and they are like a cancer on a tree. It is like once that beetle lands on that tree, that tree is dead, and that tree only has commercial viability for about 2 years. So if they cannot get that tree out of the forest within a 2-year period of time, two things happen. One, they are going to have to pay somebody to take it out of there because it has no commercial viability for others to pay them to take it out of there; and, two, it is a cancer that is sitting there spreading not just to other dead trees, but to live trees. This beetle is wrecking havoc on our forests, and the chairman saw this.”