[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 44 (Friday, April 7, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S3383]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. ALLARD:
  S. 2604. A bill to address the forest and watershed emergency in the 
State of Colorado that has been exacerbated by the bark beetle 
infestation, to provide for the conduct of activities in the State to 
reduce the risk of wildfire and flooding, to promote economically 
healthy rural communities by reinvigorating the forest products 
industry in the State, to encourage the use of biomass fuels for 
energy, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources.
  Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, I rise today out of concern for the 
Western United States. The Rocky Mountain West is currently facing a 
very real threat to one of its most rare and precious resources. Out 
West there are few things more important than water, and it is this 
very important and increasingly needed resource that is in peril. This 
threat was in part brought upon us by a scourge barely larger than my 
finger tip, the bark beetle. This devious little devil has chewed its 
way through nearly 7,500,000 trees in Colorado. The beetle left these 
drought weakened trees dead and dying. This threat is exacerbated by 
the additional 6,300,000 acres of hazardous fuels that have accumulated 
throughout Colorado.
  This devastation is concerning enough on its own, but when you 
consider the fire danger that it has created, and the direct threat 
that a catastrophic fire would pose to our watersheds, the true weight 
of this situation becomes clear. Much of the precipitation that falls 
into the forests ultimately finds its way into streams, ponds, rivers 
and lakes. Changes to forested lands caused by fire can have strong and 
devastating repercussions on the quality and quantity of water in these 
bodies. A forest fire is one big chemical reaction which releases a 
myriad of chemical elements from forest materials into the ecosystem. 
These chemicals can be washed or leach into our water systems. Forest 
fires can cause immediate and lasting changes to the chemistry of 
forest water systems, this happens as a result of increases in water 
temperature and from the smoke and ash created during the burning 
process. These effects can last long after the flames have passed, 
effecting water quality for years after the initial fire.
  Colorado should be called ``the Headwaters State,'' because it is the 
origin point of major rivers flowing both east and west and the source 
of a vast amount of the water of the United States. In fact the 
Colorado Rocky Mountains create the headwaters for 4 regional 
watersheds that eventually supply water to 19 Western States. Should 
the streams and rivers flowing out of Colorado become choked and 
polluted with ash and debris from a forest fire much of the United 
States' water supply would be affected.
  The Federal agencies that manage the majority of the affected areas 
need to adopt an accelerated pace to reduce the public health and 
safety risk as soon as possible. To address this I am introducing The 
Headwater Protection and Restoration Act today that would work to help 
alleviate the pending threat to our Nation's water supply. My 
legislation takes into consideration the desperate need to create 
healthy forests in the lands around our Nation's water supply. This 
bill will not only help provide relief from this threat in the short 
term, but will help to create the necessary infrastructure to ensure 
that it does not happen again. It will give us a long term solution to 
this desperate problem. This would be achieved through steady, 
judicious, and effective forest management over time. This displays a 
much better and more cost effective strategy than dealing with the 
management of catastrophic events under emergency circumstances. Today 
we find ourselves poised in a position to take steps to help avert this 
potential disaster before it starts. It is my hope that I will be 
joined by my colleagues here in the Senate to act swiftly on my 
legislation before it is too late.
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