Today, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing on solutions to restore health and resiliency to national forests and mitigate the threat of catastrophic wildfires.
“At a time when national attention has focused on the disastrous effects of multiple hurricanes, more than 8.5 million acres of America has been ravaged by almost 49,000 fires this year. Fifty-eight… Read more »
Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement in reaction to the appointment of Tony Tooke as the new U.S. Forest Service Chief:
“Tony Tooke is an outstanding choice to head the Forest Service. He understands the challenges facing the agency and has the experience and expertise to improve forest health, expand active management and support our rural economies. I congratulate… Read more »
Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement in response to U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell’s retirement.
“Chief Tidwell has been an advocate for improving the health, resiliency and economic benefits of our national forest system. On a personal level, I am sad to see him go. His time working in Utah demonstrated that he understands the state well, and it is clear… Read more »
Today, the House Republican Steering Committee appointed Rep. Greg Gianforte (R-MT) to the House Committee on Natural Resources. Rep. Gianforte will serve on the Subcommittee on Federal Lands and the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans. Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement:
“I’m excited to welcome Rep. Gianforte to our team. Greg brings western values and… Read more »
Today, the House passed H.R. 1873, the “Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act,” by a bipartisan vote of 300-118. Introduced by Reps. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) and Kurt Schrader (D-OR), the bipartisan bill provides streamlined processes for the removal of hazardous vegetative overgrowth within or adjacent to electricity infrastructure on federal lands.
“This bill streamlines another… Read more »
On Thursday, June 15, 2017 at 10:00 AM in 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Subcommittee on Federal Lands will hold a legislative hearing on a Discussion Draft of the “Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017” (Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-AR). Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) and Rep. Westerman issued the following statements:
“This draft builds upon the work of the prior Congress… Read more »
By Dale Bosworth, retired chief of the U.S. Forest Service and former Regional Forester in Missoula, and Jack Blackwell is a retired Regional Forester for the California region of the Forest Service.
Many of our national forests are in dire condition and Congress must take urgent action to address this worsening crisis.
Catastrophic wildfires have once again wreaked havoc this year,… Read more »
Only “you can prevent forest fires.” That’s what Smokey Bear would have you believe, anyway.
But America’s anti-wildfire mascot identifies only part of the equation. While visitors to the great outdoors can tamp out campfires or refrain from tossing cigarettes into dry leaves, the federal government, as manager of millions of national acreage, also has a role.
But decades of bad… Read more »
Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources held a markup on 19 bills including two forest management bills—Rep. Raul Labrador’s (R-ID) Self-Sufficient Community Lands Act (H.R. 2316) and Rep. Don Young’s (R-AK) State National Forest Management Act of 2015 (H.R. 3650). H.R. 2316 passed by a vote of 25-13 and H.R. 3650 passed by a vote of 23-15.
H.R. 2316 allows states to… Read more »
