Natural Resources
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October 1, 2015
As you read this, catastrophic wildfires continue to burn the western United States with no end in sight. More than 8.8 million acres of federal land have burned this summer. The U.S. Forest Service is transferring another $250 million from forest management accounts to battle these fires — a practice known as fire borrowing. This brings the total amount of additional appropriations for wildfires to $700 million for the year — the highest amount since 2002. Yesterday, Congress passed legislation reimbursing the Forest Service for this amount. Unfortunately, more funding alone will not fix our wildfire crisis.
Issues:Natural Resources
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September 17, 2015
Congressman Bruce Westerman (R-Hot Springs) hosted a special order following votes Thursday (September 17). The special order will focused on the Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2015 (passed by the House in July), wildfire prevention, and wildfire funding.
Issues:Natural Resources
September 16, 2015
Congressman Bruce Westerman (R-Hot Springs), lead author of H.R. 2647 - the Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2015 - issued the following statement in response to the Obama Administration's request that Congress change how the United States pays for wildfire suppression efforts.
Issues:Natural Resources
August 27, 2015
Last week, the Alliance for the Wild Rockies’ Michael Garrity issued a response to Rep. Ryan Zinke’s August 11 guest column (see copy on this page) about his forest reform bill. In his response, Garrity said “Zinke claimed that we have spotted owls in Montana and that logging somehow prevents forest fires.” However, a quick review of Zinke’s column indicates he actually wrote: “Frivolous lawsuits are at the heart of forest reform. The Alliance for the Wild Rockies launched more than 150 predatory lawsuits targeting legal and healthy forest projects in just the last 10 years alone. During one such project they litigated on the grounds of preserving spotted owl habitat, the forest actually caught fire and burned down for a second time during the time it took to try the case, destroying the entire area, along with the owl’s habitat.”
Issues:Natural Resources
August 10, 2015
An increasing number of Arkansas counties have enacted burn bans as recent flooding rains have given way to dry conditions.
Issues:Natural Resources
July 14, 2015
Lincoln County's Congressional representative issued a statement Friday, expressing his support for a bill that will allow some changes in national forest management.
Issues:Natural Resources
July 13, 2015
Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, believes he has the cure for 58 million ailing acres of forests in the nation, and the majority of his colleagues agree with the fix.
Issues:Natural Resources
July 13, 2015
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that could lead to an expansive overhaul of the way national forests are managed.
Issues:Natural Resources
July 12, 2015
My first bill, the Resilient Federal Forests Act, passed the House of Representatives on Thursday (July 9). It is bipartisan legislation that will give the Forest Service the tools it needs to better manage our national forests. As a professional forester, I see that our forests are no longer resilient due to overgrowth, wildfire, and disease.
Issues:Natural Resources
July 11, 2015
Wranglings over Iran and Cuba were at the forefront of the debate this week among the state’s Congressional delegation. Meanwhile, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., introduced a bill dealing with illegal immigration in the aftermath of a brutal murder in San Francisco earlier this month.
Issues:Natural Resources