LaMalfa, bipartisan lawmakers call for united effort on wildfires
Congressman Doug LaMalfa issued the following statement after joining with Representatives Joe Neguse, John Curtis and John Garamendi to call for bipartisan legislative efforts to combat wildfires and promote good forest management. All four are members of the Bipartisan Wildfire Caucus.
In April, members of the caucus sent a letter to Appropriators in Congress, urging that funding for wildfire resiliency and prevention be prioritized and included in this year’s appropriations bill.
“As massive fires burn across the West, including the Beckwourth Complex and the Lava Fire in my district, it is clear that we need to do more to prepare for fire season,” LaMalfa said. “This is a bipartisan issue, and I am glad to stand with my colleagues from across the aisle to call for combined effort on this front. Congress must act to give the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of the Interior the tools they need to fight fires and properly manage our forests, so we do not see these continued catastrophic fires. The time to act is now.”
“When your community is home to the largest and second largest wildfires in your state it’s a wakeup call to our communities, to our state and to policy makers,” said Neguse. “There is incredibly urgency to get something done, which is why Representative Curtis and I crafted the Bipartisan Wildfire Caucus.”
“I think that it would be hard to find an issue that Congressman Neguse, and I share so closely in the impact on our constituents,” said Curtis, “We see first-hand like Coloradans the haze in the air and the smoke coming from Oregon, from Colorado and everyday it’s a reminder for what looms ahead for Utah.”
“ It’s extremely important that we work together on this,” said Garamendi, “I’ve watched this for almost 30 years here in California and each year has become worse.”
