[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 171 (Tuesday, November 6, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2333]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              INTRODUCTION OF THE WILDFIRE PREVENTION ACT

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                           HON. DUNCAN HUNTER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 6, 2007

  Mr. HUNTER. Madam Speaker, today I am introducing legislation that 
will significantly enhance the ability of the American people to 
protect their homes and property from dangerous wildfires. This crucial 
legislation will augment our fire emergency preparedness by eliminating 
burdensome government rules and regulations rather than creating new 
ones. More and bigger government is not the solution to the challenges 
we face and my legislation gives the American people the opportunity to 
take the initiative in protecting themselves and their property.
  We have all witnessed the destruction and devastation wrought by the 
recent fires in southern California. According to the latest reports, 
518,021 acres have burned and over 3,500 structures have been damaged 
or destroyed. Thousands of families are now left homeless and hundreds 
of thousands more were forced to evacuate their homes as the fires 
threatened. While our brave first responders performed as outstandingly 
in this crisis as we have come to expect, these events have made it 
increasingly clear that our government has not been providing citizens 
with the tools necessary to protect themselves and has relied 
excessively on a large and unresponsive bureaucracy.
  I am sad to report that current laws and regulations make it 
difficult, if not altogether impossible, for private property owners to 
clear brush and create fire breaks that might save their homes in the 
event of a wildfire. Intrusive federal regulations, such as the 
Endangered Species Act, discourage, and in some cases prohibit, 
property owners from modifying their property to better prepare for 
wildfires. Our misguided policies have placed special interests above 
the all- important right and obligation of homeowners and property 
owners to prepare themselves for natural disasters. We know intrusive 
and bloated government is always a problem, but in a fire emergency, it 
can be deadly and destructive.
  My legislation, the Wildfire Prevention Act, works by empowering 
citizens rather than bureaucrats. The Wildfire Prevention Act makes it 
clear that no Federal law will prevent private property owners, or 
local communities that manage public land, from clearing brush or 
making other modifications to their property for the purpose of 
creating fire breaks in order to protect their lives and their 
property.
  Madam Speaker, this legislation is a step in the right direction in 
providing property owners with the resources they need to protect 
themselves. I am proud to introduce the Wildfire Prevention Act and 
request my colleagues give this important legislation their utmost 
consideration.

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