[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 204 (Thursday, December 14, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H9904]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES

  (Mr. PANETTA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PANETTA. Mr. Speaker, in California, wildfires have become a 
year-round threat. Because of these fires, communities across our great 
State have suffered devastating loss of life and property.
  Last year, in my district on the central coast of California, we had 
the most expensive fire in United States history, the Soberanes fire. 
This year, we have had some of the deadliest and costliest fires in 
California history in Napa and Sonoma. This week, we watch fires burn 
in the hills from Los Angeles and Santa Barbara to Oakland and Big Sur.
  Governor Jerry Brown calls this ``the new normal.'' We should call it 
unacceptable, and we must do something. We must fully fund the cost of 
fire suppression. We must include California fire relief in this year's 
disaster package. We must think outside the box when it comes to fire 
prevention and focus our efforts to better manage our forests in the 
future.

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