Fix Our Forests Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. PETERS. Mr. Chair, this year, wildfires have already burned over 7 million acres of forests and over 1,000 homes and other structures. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to evacuate, often with just minutes to pack their most important belongings, not knowing if they will ever return to their homes.

Many have done all the right things to protect their property, but because of the magnitude of the wildfire crisis, they cannot get insurance for their homes. Every day of fire season feels like they are gambling with everything they own.

After decades of mismanagement and misguided fire suppression tactics, there is now a scientific consensus on the solution: active forest management, State, local, Federal, and Tribal collaboration; and continued research and development on next-generation technologies and solutions.

The problem is that forest management projects like clearing dead trees and dry vegetation that fuel fires often require multiyear environmental reviews followed by years of litigation in many cases. While we wait for analysis, forests burn down, air pollution worsens, and the threats posed by climate change to our local communities are exacerbated.

Places like Jimtown, Montana, know the consequences of inaction, where the Forest Service proposed treating at-risk land near people's homes. They conducted a comprehensive environmental review, and they gained community support. Then an outside group decided that they knew better than the experts and the Forest Service and the residents, and they sued. They claimed the NEPA analysis did not do enough to study the impact on a particular bird of prey, the goshawk--not that they didn't study it, but they didn't study it enough. Locals pleaded with the group to drop that lawsuit, but the group decided to go through with the appeal anyway.

A hearing was set for October of 2003, but unfortunately, in July of 2003, the exact type of fire the Forest Service warned about burned down that forest. The fire caused evacuations, took out power to a nearby community, and cost over $1 million to suppress.

When the case was finally heard 2 years later, the Ninth Circuit ruled in the Forest Service's favor and found the reviews were sufficient.

That is the problem. The community and its needs were ignored. The community wasn't helped. It was ignored. Lives, homes, and businesses were all needlessly put in harm's way. The goshawks' habitat was destroyed.

The Fix Our Forests Act that I cosponsored with Mr. Westerman is a comprehensive bill to simplify and expedite the most critical forest management projects while maintaining strong environmental standards.

It will reduce the threat of litigation that delays these projects, and it adds new opportunities for communities to engage early in the process. It also creates new programs to protect homes and communities from fires and makes it easier for them to access Federal assistance.

This is a bipartisan bill with cosponsors from both sides of the aisle, and it passed out of the committee by a voice vote. It is endorsed by the wildland firefighters, who we all agree, it seems to me, deserve a raise, and we should make that happen.

I worked with groups like The Nature Conservancy and the Environmental Defense Fund, and others to write this bill. The Nature Conservancy has decided to stay neutral on the bill because of one provision they find problematic. To Chair Westerman's credit, he accepted The Nature Conservancy's other edits. The Nature Conservancy has the luxury of staying neutral as an outside group, but we all need in this body to decide where we stand.

I have spoken with colleagues on my side of the aisle, Democrats, who tell me that they will oppose the bill, although they agree with 18 out of 22 things in the text. Compromise is about accepting the 4 things you don't like so you can get the 18 things you do like. Mr. Westerman has worked with me and other Democratic offices to adopt Democratic amendments to improve the legislation.

We don't have the time to wait for perfect. Every day we wait, more land burns down. Let's get this bill passed and provide some hope for Americans.

Mr. Chair, this Fix Our Forests Act establishes a national Fireshed Center as the central information hub of our wildfire strategy.

I introduced an amendment with Representative Harder to clarify the center's role, which was not made in order due to a misunderstanding about germaneness. Our amendment would have clarified the purposes of the center, provided it with specific direction for its implementation, and provided safeguards for the protection of sensitive propriety information, while ensuring representation from non-Federal entities.

I look forward to working with the gentleman, Mr. Westerman, in conference to get these changes made.

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Mr. PETERS. Mr. Chairman, we cannot prevent the spread of megafires without prioritizing the needs of wildland firefighters and their families.

Wildland firefighters play a critical role managing our forests and protecting communities from the threats posed by wildfires.

We are so grateful to have their support for the underlying bill. This is dangerous work, and Congress can and must do more to protect these public servants.

One component of this is providing respectful notification and helping families navigate their options when tragedy occurs.

Congress can take a big step toward that end right now by establishing a Casualty Assistance Program at the Department of the Interior to provide support for all the critically ill, injured, or deceased wildland firefighters and their loved ones.

While this program already exists for some Federal firefighters, almost 5,000 Department of the Interior firefighters and their families lack access to this aid, leaving them unsupported during some of the hardest, most painful times in their lives.

Creating a Casualty Assistance Program through the Department of the Interior will ensure support for all our Federal wildland firefighters and their families.

We have to provide for those who risk life and limb to protect our communities from devastating wildfires. This program is one small way that we show gratitude for our firefighters and their loved ones, by making sure that they have what they need when the unimaginable happens.

I strongly support the inclusion of Mr. Harder's amendment and the inclusion of this necessary program in the Fix Our Forests Act. This is only one step toward ensuring our firefighters receive every bit of support that they deserve.

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