Posted on 08/01/2019 3:45:16 PM PDT by BenLurkin
Daines and Feinstein have been working on forest management reform proposals for several years, and the Paradise tragedy may be what pushes the legislation through a divided Congress, Daines said. He called the bipartisan effort a breakthrough.
“We have a strong friendship and we’ve worked together on other issues,” Daines said of his relationship with Feinstein. “Both of our states are dealing with serious wildfire issues, and particularly public safety issues.” The fire in Paradise, the nation’s deadliest in nearly a century, and 18 more in California in 2017 were caused by Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. power lines, investigators concluded.
Daines’ and Feinstein’s legislation will include provisions to expedite logging, the removal of dead and dying trees and other preventive fire treatment projects around roads, trails and transmission lines, such as those that caused the fire in Paradise.
It will also seek to slow or stop lawsuits that block logging projects on federal land. Daines spokeswoman Katie Schoettler did not provide details but said the bill would address a past 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision on how federal agencies consult with each other on forest management plan updates, a ruling that has been the basis of several lawsuits by conservation groups.
Daines and other Montana leaders say those groups have abused the legal system by filing frivolous lawsuits to stop logging projects in national forests. The groups contend the logging projects have the potential to harm the habitat of threatened and endangered species, such as the Canada lynx.
The bill also would prioritize large-scale forest management projects in California and Montana, such as the removal of dead and dying trees, and encourage the Forest Service to speed up restoration and reforestation efforts on burned land.
(Excerpt) Read more at ktla.com ...
Bi partisan eh. Sounds to me as though the vast majority of the bill is comprised of common sense, and that means it wasn’t from Feindstein.
Bi partisan eh. Sounds to me as though the vast majority of the bill is comprised of common sense, and that means it wasn’t from Feindstein.
Feinstein has been quite for Months, anything she has to do with is Suspect.
OOPS
Does that mean Nat. Forests will start opening up back roads ending the 30 year policy of closing them off?
They’ll need rakes. Big rakes. Powerful rakes.
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