[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 124 (Thursday, September 26, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H6697]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     MORE MONEY FOR FIRE PREVENTION

  (Ms. SOLIS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. SOLIS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to talk about an incident that 
is occurring now in the San Gabriel Valley in California and that is 
the Williams fire. We just went through a very, very debilitating fire 
several weeks ago in the same area. Now the Williams fire is continuing 
to burn there without much success to put it out.
  Every day we spend about a million dollars just to try to bring 
resources to put this out. The problem here, though, is that there is 
not enough money being put in for preventive measures, and that is when 
the forest, the national forest is but up against our communities. We 
have community development areas, we have housing, we have people that 
are going to be affected.
  Madam Speaker, 44 structures have already been burned; and I can tell 
my colleagues right now that with the conditions in California, the 
drought, the fact that we do not have enough preventive measures going 
in to help with containment is a serious problem. We need to put more 
money into this area, because we cannot afford to lose houses and human 
life and not even to mention the habitat that will not be replaced. It 
is important for us to understand that.
  Madam Speaker, I ask this House to help by considering providing more 
support for fire prevention.

                          ____________________