House hearing exposed sharp divisions over whether loosening environmental laws and expanding logging will protect communities from catastrophic fires. Scientists urged a shift toward investing in fire-resilient homes and landscapes.
Lawmakers from both parties agreed at a congressional hearing Tuesday that the federal government must act to address the growing threat of catastrophic wildfires, but they were sharply divided over how, and whether pending legislation known as the Fix Our Forests Act offers the right path forward.
The proposed wildfire legislation would allow certain projects to bypass some ESA and NEPA reviews, increasing the size limit on such exceptions from 3,000 acres to 10,000 acres. The bill would also limit the public’s ability to ask courts to review the legality of such moves. Read the entire article from Inside Climate News
By Katie Surma
Olympic Climate Action 