Congressional Record, Volume 144 Issue 107 (Monday, August 3, 1998)

[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 107 (Monday, August 3, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H6909-H6912]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

SENSE OF THE HOUSE REGARDING ASSISTANCE TO MEXICO TO COMBAT WILDFIRES

Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to
the resolution (H. Res. 469) expressing the sense of the House of
Representatives regarding assistance to Mexico to combat wildfires, and
for other purposes, as amended.

[[Page H6910]]

The Clerk read as follows:

H. Res. 469

Whereas the United States has a Cooperative Fire
Suppression Agreement with Canada to address the issue of
fires occurring along the border between the two countries;
Whereas in the past fires starting in Mexico have grown out
of control and have spread into the United States; and
Whereas both the United States Forest Service and the
Mexican Forest Service have expressed an interest in having a
cooperative fire suppression agreement between the United
States and Mexico: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of
Representatives that the United States should initiate
negotiations with Mexico at the earliest date possible in
order to come to a mutually beneficial agreement as soon as
possible addressing the concerns of both countries in
suppressing fires occurring along the border between the two
countries.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter) and the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hamilton)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter).

General Leave

Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 days within which to revise and extend their remarks on this
measure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Nebraska?
There was no objection.
Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
(Mr. BEREUTER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, recently raging fires engulfed over 1
million acres of land in Mexico. Our border states, in particular
Texas, were overwhelmed by a pile of smoke that created an acute
pollution problem and raised serious health concerns. The
administration deployed emergency assistance to help Mexico cope with
fires.
I would like to thank my colleagues on the Committee on International
Relations, particularly the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Brady), for
working with the honorable gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall) to offer an
answer, which was unanimously approved in committee updating this
resolution.
In the aftermath of these terrible fires, it is important for the
House to endorse this resolution's call for the negotiation with Mexico
of a cooperative fire suppression agreement similar to the one that
exists between the United States and Canada.
I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Res. 469, as amended.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume,
and I rise in support of H. Res. 469.
The fires in Guatemala and in Mexico earlier this summer had wide-
ranging impact. The smoke from the fires was noticeable as far north as
the State of Wisconsin, and many people suffered serious health
consequences along the U.S.-Mexico border.
We are right to seek to put into place a framework that will allow us
to maximize cooperation in the case that we are faced with these
problems along the border. It is worth noting that the United States
made a significant contribution to controlling and extinguishing these
fires. We provided in excess of $8 million to defeat fires in Guatemala
and Mexico.
In so doing, we generated a lot of goodwill among the people of those
two countries who suffered a great deal because of the fires. The
greatest assistance the U.S. provided was the fire experts from the
United States Forest Service. All of us, I am sure, want to commend
their work. They braved some dangerous conditions and in the process
provided a great service to our country and certainly to the people of
Mexico and Guatemala.
I urge the adoption of this resolution.
Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the distinguished
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Bentsen).
(Mr. BENTSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. BENTSEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this legislation so that the
United States and Mexico can be better prepared the next time we face a
fire and public health emergency such as the one we faced earlier this
year.
This spring, Texas and many other states were blanketed by thick,
unhealthy smoke from more than 10,000 fires that burned, many of them
out of control in Mexico and in other Central American countries.
While our two nations have worked well together to bring this threat
under control, we did so largely on an ad hoc basis. We need a more
permanent and proactive solution, and this resolution takes the right
approach in calling for the negotiation of a cooperative fire
suppression agreement with Mexico similar to that which we already have
in place with Canada.
Such an agreement would be in the best interest of both the United
States and Mexico so that we could respond more quickly and effectively
to future fire emergencies.
This year's experience showed clearly that fire emergencies know no
borders. These fires were a threat not only to the residents in the
immediate vicinity but to the communities thousands of miles away.
For several days this spring, the entire State of Texas was under a
public health alert that urged all Texans to stay indoors and limit
outdoor activity in order to limit exposure to the smoky haze. Many
outdoor activities were cancelled and delayed.
In particular in my district, all school children were ordered to
stay inside and a number of school Little League and high school
baseball games and baseball playoffs were cancelled as a result of the
threat.
Additionally, senior citizens were urged to stay inside because of
the threat. The Greater Houston area and the Gulf Coast area remained
under this threat for several weeks.
At its peak, smoke from these fires affected at least six States,
including Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, and Mississippi. We
must work to prevent this type of public health threat from occurring.
I also want to take this opportunity to thank the firefighting
personnel from both the United States and Mexico for their hard work in
fighting the fires this spring. Despite the lack of a fire suppression
agreement, our two nations worked well together to fight this threat.
After receiving a letter from the Texas Congressional Delegation
which I had organized, our government worked quickly to provide the
necessary assistance to Mexico. I greatly appreciate the prompt and
effective assistance that was provided by the U.S. Agency for
International Development, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, as well as other agencies.
The assistance provided included firefighting equipment, heavy lift
helicopters and C-130 tanker aircraft.
In addition, firefighting experts from the United States traveled to
Mexico and helped provide technical assistance to Mexican firefighters
on how to suppress these fires. However, this is only a starting point.
This legislation would encourage these two nations to create a more
comprehensive plan to reduce forest fires in the future and fight
blazes once they have started.
I think it is important that we note that we share a very long border
with Mexico, and while it directly affects those of us in Texas, again
we saw that this could affect other States as well. This was not just
an issue of helping out a neighbor who in fact deserved that help, but
it was also a public health issue in the United States as well.
I think it underscores the need that the administration move quickly
on trying to finish negotiations on a fire suppression agreement.
I also would like to point out the damage that was done in Mexico, in
particular in the Chimalapas Jungles, which is one of the great natural
areas in Mexico, which was not completely but very much of which was
destroyed, and this is at great environmental cost not only to the
people of Mexico but to the people of the Southern Hemisphere as well.
I congratulate my colleague, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall), for
authoring this legislation and the chairman and the ranking Democrat
for bringing this to the floor.
Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the

[[Page H6911]]

gentleman from Texas (Mr. Brady), a distinguished member of the
committee.
Mr. BRADY of Texas. I thank the gentleman from Nebraska for yielding
me this time.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support House Resolution 469 and would
like to thank the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter) and the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall) for introducing this important
resolution expressing the sense of Congress concerning what is known as
a cooperative fire suppression agreement with Mexico.
This resolution seeks to give congressional support for the
negotiation of an agreement with Mexico, addressing fire suppression
along the border region of the United States and Mexico.
As you may know and have heard, smoke from the recent fires in Mexico
and Central America drifted into the southern United States from the
Gulf of Mexico, causing respiratory health problems for people all over
the United States. These fires brought to light a missing piece in our
international firefighting programs: The lack of a cooperative
agreement with Mexico.
The United States has had a cooperative fire suppression agreement
with Canada since 1982. This agreement allows our U.S. Forest Service
firefighters to enter Canada to aid in fire suppression when fires
occur along the 200-kilometer band on the border, and vice versa. This
agreement permits both countries to help contain border fires that
threaten their territory and permits either country to seek
reimbursement for these services.
The agreement has been successfully implemented to address fires that
occur along the borders with U.S. and Canadian firefighters working
jointly to protect both countries from wildfires. Unfortunately, we do
not have such an agreement with Mexico. In the past, small, easily
manageable fires have grown into large, destructive wildfires that
spread into the United States. This type of agreement is imperative for
the protection of both U.S. citizens and their property.
At the recent Binational Commission between the United States and
Mexico, our State Department, with the backing of over 40 Members of
the House of Representatives, and with the backing of 6 Senators from
our border States, presented the Mexican delegation with a draft text
of the agreement. It is extremely important that the State Department
continue to pursue these negotiations if we are to prevent future
catastrophes from occurring along the border.
Currently, the potential for fire on the border region is
tremendously high. The wet winter in the Southwest gave growth to large
amounts of grass and underbrush. The ensuing drought and massive heat
wave have turned these grasses into the perfect tinder for fires on
both sides of the border. The danger is real and as we have seen from
the fires in southern Mexico, you do not have to live next to the fire
to be affected by it.
I strongly urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

{time} 1400

Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments
which are very relevant. As a Member from Texas, he is well aware of
these problems.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished
gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega).
(Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend
his remarks.)
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I want to echo the sentiments
expressed earlier by the gentleman from Nebraska and the gentleman from
Indiana (Mr. Hamilton), the ranking minority member of the Committee on
International Relations concerning this resolution that I sincerely
hope that our colleagues will support and endorse.
Mr. Speaker, the fires in southern Mexico had far reaching
consequences in the United States. We are right to look for lessons
from those very damaging fires. The best way to do that is to look for
a way to work well with our Mexican neighbors for future problems. This
resolution does that. Getting the Congress on record in support of a
bilateral fire suppression agreement will send a strong message to the
President and to the good leaders and people of Mexico that we are
interested in avoiding damages from fires in the future.
I might also add, Mr. Speaker, my strongest commendation to the men
and women of the U.S. Forest Service who worked hard and so bravely to
suppress this spring's fires in southern Mexico. They helped numerous
Mexican citizens and in so doing generated great good and good will
between the people of the United States and the good people of Mexico.
We owe a great debt of gratitude to these brave men and women.
I urge my colleagues, Mr. Speaker, to support House Resolution 469.
Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
May I simply observe that I have been informed that the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Hall) who is the principal author of H. Res. 469 wanted very
much to speak on the resolution but is on his way to the Chamber, he
has been traveling, and he may not make it in time. I do want to
commend him for his initiative on this very worthy resolution.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, recently, raging fires engulfed over 1
million acres of land in Mexico. Our border states, in particular
Texas, were overwhelmed by a pall of smoke that created an acute
pollution problem and raised serious health concerns. The
Administration deployed emergency assistance to help Mexico cope with
the fires.
I would like to thank my colleague on the International Relations
Committee, Mr. Brady, for working with the honorable gentleman from
Texas, Mr. Hall, to offer an amendment--which was unanimously approved
in Committee--updating this resolution.
In the aftermath of these terrible fires, it is important for the
House to endorse this resolution's call for the negotiation with Mexico
of a Cooperative Fire Suppression Agreement similar to the one that
exists between the United States and Canada.
I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Res. 469 as amended.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on behalf of
this resolution, which expresses the sense of Congress that the United
States assist Mexico in its efforts to combat the forest fires which
have plagued it this year.
It is rare in any neighborhood that neighbors will get along one
hundred percent of the time, yet it is a good neighbor who always
extends a helping hand to the other in the midst of a crisis. Mexico is
currently dealing with a crisis of an alarming magnitude, and it is our
time to step forward and offer our resources to help them through this
difficult time.
The terrible forest fires that still rage in various parts of Mexico
and Central America have shown no signs of slowing down. Just over the
course of the last few weeks, over 1 million acres have been destroyed
by flames, spurred on by months of dry conditions brought upon by
drought.
Mexico and Central America's firefighters are overmatched, and
desperately need assistance. With the adoption of this resolution, we
can alleviate some of their burden and give them a fighting chance to
outlast these blazes of misfortune. We are intimately familiar with the
devastation that forest fires can wreck upon the environment, having
just overcome similar fires in Florida just last month, and should make
sure that wee minimize the danger to all of the families in harm's way,
no matter their nationality.
I would also like to remind my colleagues that any efforts of ours in
Mexico would also directly benefit our citizens here at home. Here in
the United States, including my District in Houston, we have been
subjected to the side effects of these huge fires, in the form of smoke
which has blown up from South of the Rio Grande.
The ``haze'' as it has been called, has darkened the skies and
worsened the health of our citizens. The State of Texas has been forced
to issue special health warnings, advising people to stay indoors on
certain days when the conditions are particularly bad.
These conditions are only exacerbated by the extended period of
drought that the Southwestern portion of the United States has suffered
in recent years. Although it is not within the power of Congress to
change Mother Nature, we can help farmers financially, and try to fight
the fires that are irritating our children's eyes, and filling their
lungs with smoke.
I urge my fellow colleagues to vote for this declaration, and to
reaffirm our partnership with the people and governments of Mexico and
Central America.
Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Barrett of Nebraska). The question is on
the motion offered by the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter)

[[Page H6912]]

that the House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, House
Resolution 469, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was
agreed to.
The title of the resolution was amended so as to read: ``Resolution
expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding a
cooperative fire suppression agreement with Mexico.''.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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