Forest Emergency Recovery and Research Act

FOREST EMERGENCY RECOVERY AND RESEARCH ACT -- (Extensions of Remarks - May 18, 2006)

The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4200) to improve the ability of the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to promptly implement recovery treatments in response to catastrophic events affecting Federal lands under their jurisdiction, including the removal of dead and damaged trees and the implementation of reforestation treatments, to support the recovery of non-Federal lands damaged by catastrophic events, to revitalize, Forest Service experimental forests, and for other purposes:

* Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Madam Chairman, I regret that I could not be present today because of a family medical emergency and I am in opposition to the Forest Emergency Recovery and Research Act (H.R. 4200).

* This bill misses the point. In the face of the President's drastic budget cuts to State and local wildfire assistance programs, including a 30 percent cut in the State Fire Assistance program, which directly funds local community fire risk reduction planning and projects, this bill seems wholly inappropriate. Instead of providing the necessary tools to mitigate future fires to the 11,000 high risk communities around the country threatened by wildfires, this bill ``expedites'' or ``streamlines'' the timber salvage process for the logging industry following a catastrophic event. It is unnecessary and unwise to weaken existing laws meant to protect public participation and the environment, when the authority and ability to recover and restore forests after fires, floods, or other disasters is not being prevented. Our communities deserve better. I urge my colleagues to oppose the underlying bill.

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