[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 115 (Thursday, July 1, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H3584]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TAKE ACTION ON WILDFIRES

  (Ms. PORTER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, 2020 was California's worst fire season on 
record, and 2021 has the potential to be even worse.
  Wildfires damage property, pollute our air, and threaten lives, and 
we need to take action.
  I have been calling for fair pay for Federal firefighters. These 
brave Americans put their lives on the line to keep our communities 
safe, and I am glad that the Biden administration recently committed to 
paying Federal firefighters at least $15 an hour.
  As we begin another fire season, we need to strengthen our 
coordination across levels of government to learn from past disasters. 
I have introduced legislation to create an independent board to closely 
examine and report on natural disasters. This will keep families safe 
and save taxpayers money.
  And, of course, we need to tackle a key contributor to worsening fire 
seasons, the climate crisis.
  As we move forward on infrastructure legislation, environmental 
protection must be a priority.
  For the millions of Americans and Californians hurt by wildfires each 
year, doing nothing is not an option.

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