01/08/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/08/2025 14:11
Today, House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) and Western Caucus Chairman Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) issued the following statement:
"Our prayers are with the victims of the dangerous fires today in California. We must aggressively increase the pace and scale of our forest management to prevent these types of catastrophes in the future. Last year we passed the Fix Our Forests Act with overwhelming bipartisan support to help support community resilience to wildfires and prevent these types of tragedies in the future. Unfortunately, that legislation died in the Senate. Additionally, the forestry title of the Farm Bill would have implemented measures to proactively manage forests to lessen wildfire risk. Now is not the time for politics but the time for action, and House Republicans will work to pass these initiatives again in the new Congress."