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Colorado Wilderness Act of 2019

Floor Speech

Date: Feb. 12, 2020
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Animals and Wildlife Environment

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Mr. PANETTA. Mr. Chair, I rise to offer an amendment today to H.R. 2546, Protecting America's Wilderness Act.

As we know, this bill would provide permanent protections for approximately 1.3 million acres of Federal land, including in California, and 1,200 miles of rivers. Not only will it provide vital protections for some of our most precious natural resources, but it will also improve outdoor recreational opportunities for underserved communities.

Now, my amendment ensures that, as we work to protect, conserve, and enjoy Federal public lands, we also prioritize the safety of our communities. This amendment gives the authority to the Secretary of the Department of the Interior and the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture to ensure that they are able to manage for fire, insects, and disease in wilderness areas, particularly during times of crisis.

In California, we are, unfortunately, no stranger to the threat of wildfires; and with climate change, wildfire seasons are becoming wildfire years.

Now, wildfires do not stop at property lines, so neither should our Federal efforts to fight wildfires and better manage our forestland. As we work to fight the effects of climate change and the impacts on our forests, we must also take every action that we can to protect the families and the homes in these vulnerable communities.

In putting forward new and critical protections on land--from the redwoods to the Los Padres National Forest, to the San Gabriel Mountains--we must ensure our Federal land managers have the flexibility that they need to take the reasonable and necessary actions to preemptively address fire, insects, and disease threats to this land.

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Mr. PANETTA. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Carbajal), my good friend from the southern coast of California.

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Mr. PANETTA. Mr. Chair, I want to thank my good friend and neighbor to the south, Representative Carbajal, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. PANETTA. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. PANETTA. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

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