Dan Newhouse: “I thank Mr. Westerman for yielding me time to debate on this very important issue and bill. Mr. Chair, I rise in support…”

“I thank Mr. Westerman for yielding me time to debate on this very important issue and bill. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of the Fix Our Forests Act. As chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, I can tell you that wildfire risk remains top of mind as States across the West are ravaged by wildfires year after year. In fact, as we heard, just this year alone, over 7 million acres have burned due to out-of-control fires, and get this: Fire season is not over yet. We are already above our 10-year average of acres affected, with fires burning larger and hotter than ever before. We need proactive forest management now, and the Fix Our Forests Act will help us achieve that goal. This bipartisan effort will enable desperately needed active forest management by expediting permitting reviews and limiting senseless lawsuits from extreme environmentalists. With more proactive forest management, we can prevent the risk of fires raging out of control and save our communities from devastating damage. Mr. Chair, I thank my good friend from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) for his leadership on this legislation. I am very proud to support this victory for rural Western America.”