“Right now, I see no higher priority for the Forest Service than treating our forests to make them healthy again. Treating our forests is the best medicine we have to reduce fire risk, bring down the costs of fighting fire over time, and continue to provide recreation, clean water and quality habitat for wildlife.”
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining, delivered the following opening statement at the subcommittee hearing on forest management.
The hearing highlighted Senator Barrasso’s National Forest Ecosystem Improvement Act (S. 1691) to help restore healthy forest ecosystems by instructing the U.S. Forest Service to carry out projects to:
- increase wildlife habitat and watershed health,
- reduce insect or disease infestation,
- reduce wildland fire severity and recover ecosystem resiliency and
- perform timber stand improvements
Click here for more information about the National Forest Ecosystem Improvement Act.
The hearing featured testimony from U.S. Forest Service Chief Tomas Tidwell, Bureau of Land Management Deputy Director of Operations Steve Ellis, Pew Charitable Trusts Director of Public Lands Mike Matz, Vice President and CEO of Neiman Enterprises Jim Neiman of Hulett, Wyoming, and President and CEO of Swanson Group Steve Swanson. Click here for more information on their testimonies.
Excerpts of Senator Barrasso’s remarks:
“The purpose of today’s hearing is to receive testimony on three bills, all on the important topic of forest management.
“For decades our national forests and our rural and forested communities had a mutually beneficial relationship largely focused on timber production.
“It created good-paying jobs to support families. It reduced wildfire fuel load and created wildlife habit. It generated income that could be shared with communities to provide such essential services as roads, schools and law enforcement.
“This all began to change in the late 1980s and 1990s.
“Across the United States, timber harvest from federal forested lands fell by more than 8 billion board feet – a decline of more than 80 percent.
“This abrupt drop in production levels was the result of numerous constraints on harvesting timber including timber sales litigation and the listing of threatened and endangered species.
“Mills shuttered their operations and timber-processing capacity in Wyoming and other Western states was lost.
“Our once vibrant rural and forested communities were no more.
“Populations declined, schools closed and double digit unemployment became the new normal.
“The few mills that were able to survive continue to struggle to keep going given the uncertainty of supply.
“I would like to welcome Jim Neiman, one of these mill owners headquartered in Hulett, Wyoming to the Committee.
“We now have rural and forested communities across the West dependent upon federal subsidies like Secure Rural Schools to provide basic services.
“Secure Rural Schools subsidies are not sustainable nor are they the long term solution rural counties need.
“Reducing timber production also negatively impacted the health of our forests.
“The lack of active forest management coupled with a policy of fire exclusion created the perfect storm for catastrophic unnatural wildfire.
“According to the Forest Service, between 62 and 82 million acres are in need of treatment and at risk of catastrophic wildfire.
“That is over 40 percent of the entire National Forest System and the number is growing.
“I am not suggesting we turn back the clock to the so-called timber hay days. That is not realistic but we can’t allow the status quo to continue.
“Congress must act – for the health of our forests – and for the survival of our rural communities.
“Congressional action must include a suite of actions.
“We hear most often about the escalating costs of wildfire suppression and how year after year the agencies are forced to tap existing non-fire accounts.
“Congress must end the practice of fire borrowing.
“We cannot continue borrowing money to fight fires from the very accounts that help reduce the risk and cost of wildfire.
“Instead, Congress must responsibly budget for wildfire management without resorting to budget gimmicks.
“The Senate Interior Appropriations bill provides a fiscally responsible approach that ends fire borrowing.
“I commend Senator Murkowski for advancing a reasonable solution on this difficult issue.
“To be clear, our forest management problem is not simply a fire budgeting or money problem – it is a prioritization problem.
“Right now, I see no higher priority for the Forest Service than treating our forests to make them healthy again.
“Treating our forests is the best medicine we have to reduce fire risk, bring down the costs of fighting fire over time, and continue to provide recreation, clean water and quality habitat for wildlife.
“It is the only sustainable way to provide the jobs and economic activity our rural and forested communities desperately need.
“My bill, S. 1691, makes treating our forests the priority it needs to be.
“Congress must help the Forest Service get treatments implemented at the same pace and scale fire and other disturbances are occurring.
“A 2007 Forest Service NEPA feasibility analysis determined that the best estimated average for environmental review costs was $365 million a year.
“In addition to the excess cost, these environmental reviews take far too long to complete, if they are completed at all.
“The Forest Service estimates that on average it takes over 3 years to prepare an environmental impact statement and nearly 2 years to prepare an environment assessment.
“Given the crisis situation in our forests, this is wasted time, taxpayer money, and staff hours we can’t afford to spare.
“Excessive environmental analysis are only a lightning strike away from hurting – not helping – our national forests.
“My bill would restore rationality to the NEPA process without eliminating environmental reviews or public involvement.
“It also provides categorical exclusions for certain types of needed forest projects to get them implemented more quickly.
“To further address the ever present threat of litigation, the bill offers arbitration as an alternative dispute resolution tool.
“The use of arbitration by the Secretary would be totally discretionary and limited in scope.
“S. 1691 would also deter extraneous lawsuits by requiring a bond to be posted covering the costs of the Forest Service to defend the lawsuit.
“This may seem harsh to some but it has existed on tribal lands without incident.
“I am hopeful we can work together – this Committee and the Administration – to advance this legislation and end the status quo.
“The very health of our forests, our watersheds, our wildlife, and our communities depend on it.
“I also want to briefly touch on the other bills we have on the agenda.
“S.132 is Senator Wyden’s Oregon and California Lands bill.
“I know resolving the challenges associated with the management of the O&C lands is something Senator Wyden is committed to.
“I do have concerns with the bill as drafted.
“It permanently locks up nearly a million acres in various land conservation designations including wilderness and lacks support from the local communities.
“I want to work with you on O&C and I am hopeful we can get there.
“We also have S. 326, Senator Flake’s Stewardship End Result Contracting Act.
“This Committee in the 113th Congress reported S.1300 which reauthorized and made improvements to the stewardship contracting authority.
“The 2014 Farm Bill included many of the provisions of S.1300, but did not incorporate the cancellation ceiling modifications.
“This bill would address that issue. It is a bipartisan bill and I am glad we could include it in the hearing.
“With that I want to thank our witnesses for being here.”
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http://www.barrasso.senate.gov