[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 62 (Thursday, May 18, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E869]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E869]]


               FOREST EMERGENCY RECOVERY AND RESEARCH ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. JOHN B. LARSON

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 17, 2006

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 4200) to 
     improve the ability of the Secretary of Agriculture and the 
     Secretary of the Interior to promptly implement recovery 
     treatments in response to catastrophic events affecting 
     Federal lands under their jurisdiction, including the removal 
     of dead and damaged trees and the implementation of 
     reforestation treatments, to support the recovery of non-
     Federal lands damaged by catastrophic events, to revitalize, 
     Forest Service experimental forests, and for other purposes:

  Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Madam Chairman, I regret that I could not 
be present today because of a family medical emergency and I am in 
opposition to the Forest Emergency Recovery and Research Act (H.R. 
4200).
  This bill misses the point. In the face of the President's drastic 
budget cuts to State and local wildfire assistance programs, including 
a 30 percent cut in the State Fire Assistance program, which directly 
funds local community fire risk reduction planning and projects, this 
bill seems wholly inappropriate. Instead of providing the necessary 
tools to mitigate future fires to the 11,000 high risk communities 
around the country threatened by wildfires, this bill ``expedites'' or 
``streamlines'' the timber salvage process for the logging industry 
following a catastrophic event. It is unnecessary and unwise to weaken 
existing laws meant to protect public participation and the 
environment, when the authority and ability to recover and restore 
forests after fires, floods, or other disasters is not being prevented. 
Our communities deserve better. I urge my colleagues to oppose the 
underlying bill.

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