[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 154 (Tuesday, September 24, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H7892]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1930
                         FIRE DANGER MITIGATION

  (Mr. LaMALFA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LaMALFA. Madam Speaker, I rise tonight to commend Vicki 
Christiansen, the Forest Service Chief, for proposing a new rule to add 
to our fire danger mitigation that we need to do in California and 
across the West.
  Building upon my bill from a year and a half ago, the Electricity 
Reliability and Forest Protection Act, this allows the streamlining of 
the process to clear trees and brush, et cetera, around power lines, 
that make it a fire hazard.
  We have certainly suffered enough fire loss in California. I had the 
Camp fire right in my own district, the Carr fire last year as well 
and, this year, already 54,000 acres burned in Plumas County.
  As it is right now, our utilities have a hard time being able to get 
out and do the work because the permit process can be difficult. So 
they resort to lately, right in the middle of my district, what is 
known as the public safety power shutoff as a precaution, with the wind 
conditions and heat perhaps being able to cause additional wildfire.
  We shouldn't put the utilities in that position of being cursed if 
they do or cursed if they don't for a possible fire. We need to get the 
work done around the power lines. So I hope this rule put through by 
the U.S. Forest Service will help us accomplish that.

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