On Wednesday, March 16, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. ET, Rep. Ro Khanna, Chairman
of the Subcommittee on Environment, will hold a
hearing
to examine the urgent need for the federal government to adopt better
wildfire preparation measures, and discuss the human toll of wildfires
that are becoming larger and more severe due to drought, global warming,
and other climate stressors.
Forests stretch across approximately one-third of the land in the United
States and hold important cultural significance, protect biodiversity,
and promote recreation. Forests also mitigate climate change by
sequestering and storing carbon, offsetting approximately 15% of annual
U.S. carbon emissions from fossil fuels.
While wildfires are an important part of maintaining healthy forest
ecosystems, careful prevention work is crucial to mitigating the damage
from increasingly dangerous fires. The hearing will examine several
strategies the Forest Service employs to prevent wildfires including
prescribed burns, thinning, and commercial logging, as well as the
challenges the Forest Service faces, such as a tight budget and an
influential commercial logging industry.
Allowing Tribes and traditional ecological knowledge-holders to play a
leading role in forest management can improve wildfire resilience and
protect cultural resources. The Forest Service increasingly partners
with Tribes on restoration projects through the Tribal Relations
Program, but challenges persist in securing permits and local support
for cultural prescribed burns.
This hearing will examine the Forest Service’s efforts and plans to
mitigate and respond to wildfires, and hear from experts and
environmental advocates, including internationally renowned singer and
songwriter Carole King, about the urgent need to adopt better wildfire
preparation measures in the face of intensifying fires due to climate
change and human development.
Witnesses:
Randy Moore, Chief, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Department of
Agriculture
Carole King, Celebrated Singer-songwriter, Land Conservation Advocate
Ali Meders-Knight, Mechoopda Tribal Member, Traditional Ecological
Knowledge Practitioner
Dr. Michael Gollner, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering,
University of California, Berkeley, Deb Faculty Fellow, Berkeley Fire
Research Lab
Dr. Dominick A. DellaSala, Chief Scientist, Wild Heritage, Project of
Earth Island Institute
James Hubbard (minority witness), Former Under Secretary, Natural
Resources and Environment, Department of Agriculture
On Wednesday, March 16, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. ET via WebEx and in 1324
Longworth HOB Hearing Room and livestreamed on
the Committee’s YouTube page, the Committee on Natural Resources will
meet
to consider the following bills:
H.R.
1638
(Rep. Dusty Johnson), To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to
transfer certain National Forest System land to the State of South
Dakota, and for other purposes. Gilt Edge Mine Conveyance Act.
H.R.
3587
(Rep. Grijalva), To prescribe procedures for effective consultation
and coordination by Federal agencies with federally recognized Tribal
Governments regarding Federal Government actions that impact Tribal
lands and interests to ensure that meaningful Tribal input is an
integral part of the Federal decision-making process. Requirements,
Expectations, and Standard Procedures for Effective Consultation with
Tribes Act or the RESPECT Act.
H.R.
5093
(Rep. Herrera Beutler), To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to
transfer certain National Forest System land in the State of
Washington to Skamania County, Washington. Wind River Administrative
Site Conveyance Act.
The purpose of this
hearing
is to provide Members with an opportunity to testify before the
Subcommittee on their WRDA priorities related
to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). This testimony will help to
inform the drafting of a new WRDA for 2022,
which the committee expects to approve this year.
Join Rep. Jason Crow (CO-06), Rep. Tom Malinowski (NJ-07), former
Assistant Secretary of Defense Sharon Burke, former Assistant Secretary
of the Navy Admiral Dennis McGinn, and more foreign policy experts for a
Climate Power, Foreign Policy for America, and League of Conservation
Voters (LCV) event on clean energy and national security. Watch on
Twitter or
Facebook.
