[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 147 (Tuesday, September 12, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H4253-H4255]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EMERGENCY WILDFIRE FIGHTING TECHNOLOGY ACT OF 2023
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 3389) to require the Secretary of Agriculture, acting
through the Chief of the Forest Service, and the Secretary of the
Interior to conduct an evaluation with respect to the use of the
container aerial firefighting system (CAFFS), and for other purposes,
as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3389
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SEC. 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Emergency Wildfire Fighting
Technology Act of 2023''.
SEC. 2. CONTAINER AERIAL FIREFIGHTING SYSTEM (CAFFS).
(a) Evaluation.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture and
the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the
National Interagency Aviation Committee and the Interagency
Airtanker Board, shall jointly conduct an evaluation of the
container aerial firefighting system to assess the use of
such system to mitigate and suppress wildfires.
(b) Report.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture and the
Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the National
Interagency Aviation Committee and the Interagency Airtanker
Board, shall jointly submit to the appropriate committees a
report that includes the results of the evaluation required
under subsection (a).
(c) Appropriate Committees Defined.--In this section, the
term ``appropriate committees'' means--
(1) the Committees on Agriculture and Natural Resources of
the House of Representatives; and
(2) the Committees on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
and Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arkansas.
General Leave
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to
include extraneous material on H.R. 3389, the bill now under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Arkansas?
There was no objection.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly support Congressman Valadao's bill, the
Emergency Wildfire Fighting Technology Act of 2023.
[[Page H4254]]
This legislation, rightly named, has the potential to provide another
tool in the toolbox for addressing the catastrophic wildfire crisis.
Americans have tragically grown accustomed to increasingly severe
wildfire years that are lasting longer and producing more destruction
than ever before. This summer, devastating wildfires impacted the
community of Lahaina on the island of Maui, devastation I saw firsthand
along with several of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle.
Unfortunately, the reality is that decades of inadequate forest
management have created an unprecedented forest health crisis. Across
the U.S., there are now 1 billion acres of at-risk land for wildfire.
In the absence of dramatic change, the future outlook remains bleak.
When it comes to fighting these out-of-control infernos, we simply
don't have the luxury of ignoring potential new technologies that could
improve the cost efficiency or effectiveness of suppressing fires.
It is critical that wildland firefighting agencies have all tools and
methods available to them to fight fires and protect lives and
property. Aircraft and helicopters provide lifesaving support to ground
crews, often by delivering water or fire retardant. In order to drop
water or fire retardant from a plane or helicopter, the aircraft must
be designed or retrofitted for such purposes, limiting the number of
aircraft that are available.
Mr. Valadao has worked with various stakeholders who have developed
and improved a container aerial firefighting system to drop water and
fire retardant from aircraft via disposable containers. This technology
could decrease the response time to wildfires by increasing the number
of aircraft available, thus saving more lives and more structures. This
technology is not new. However, the system has not been recently
studied by the wildland firefighting agencies.
H.R. 3389 would require the U.S. Forest Service and Department of the
Interior to conduct an evaluation on the use of container aerial
firefighting systems in response to wildfires. The evaluation will
focus on effectiveness, cost, ease of delivery, and safety.
Directing our wildfire fighting agencies to study new and emerging
technology is a win for the wildland firefighting crews and a win for
those who live in fire-prone areas.
I applaud Congressman Valadao for his leadership on this important
topic. He is a leader on bipartisan solutions that meaningfully improve
forest health and reduce wildfires.
Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my
time.
House of Representatives,
Committee on Agriculture,
Washington, DC, September 5, 2023.
Hon. Bruce Westerman,
Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources,
Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: This letter confirms our mutual
understanding regarding H.R. 3389, the ``Emergency Wildfire
Fighting Technology Act of 2023''. Thank you for
collaborating with the Committee on Agriculture on the
matters within our jurisdiction.
The Committee on Agriculture will forego any further
consideration of this bill. However, by foregoing
consideration at this time, we do not waive any jurisdiction
over any subject matter contained in this or similar
legislation. The Committee on Agriculture also reserves the
right to seek appointment of an appropriate number of
conferees should it become necessary and ask that you support
such a request.
We would appreciate a response to this letter confirming
this understanding with respect to H.R. 3389 and request a
copy of our letters on this matter be published in the
Congressional Record during Floor consideration.
Sincerely,
Glenn ``GT'' Thompson,
Chairman.
____
House of Representatives,
Committee on Natural Resources,
Washington, DC, September 6, 2023.
Hon. Glenn ``GT'' Thompson,
Chairman, Committee on Agriculture,
Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: I write regarding H.R. 3389, the
Emergency Wildfire Fighting Technology Act of 2023, which was
ordered reported by the Committee on Natural Resources on
June 13, 2023.
I recognize that the bill contains provisions that fall
within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Agriculture and
appreciate your willingness to forgo action on the bill. I
acknowledge that the Committee on Agriculture will not
formally consider H.R. 3389 and agree that the inaction of
your Committee with respect to the bill does not waive any
jurisdiction over the subject matter contained therein.
I am pleased to support your request to name members of the
Committee on Agriculture to any conference committee to
consider such provisions. I will ensure that our exchange of
letters is included in the Congressional Record during floor
consideration of the bill. I appreciate your cooperation
regarding this legislation.
Sincerely,
Bruce Westerman,
Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources.
Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3389, the Emergency Wildfire Fighting Technology
Act, was introduced by my colleague, Representative Valadao of
California.
The bill requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the
Department of the Interior, in coordination with the National
Interagency Aviation Committee and Interagency Airtanker Board, to
complete an evaluation of the container aerial fighting system to
support wildland fire mitigation and suppression.
In 2011, the Forest Service conducted a study and determined that
this particular delivery system did not meet existing standards and
posed safety risks to our communities and forests.
However, there have been technological advancements in the decades
since the initial report, and this bill aims to kick-start research
that could promote the use of under-utilized technology.
{time} 1715
The climate crisis is clearly increasing the severity and the
duration of the wildfire season, so it is imperative that we
continuously research and re-evaluate any emerging technology.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the majority for their willingness to work with
us on amending the bill at markup. The updated text that we are
considering today ensures that the Forest Service retains the
decisionmaking authority with respect to the use of this particular
tool.
This is an important safeguard for the safety of wildland
firefighters and the communities impacted by the wildfire crisis.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the bill, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
California (Mr. Valadao), the lead sponsor of the bill.
Mr. VALADAO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to
support my bill that will help combat severe wildfires and save lives.
My home State of California has become all too familiar with
devastating wildfires.
In 2022, just over 20,000 wildfires burned approximately 5.8 million
acres across the Western United States. These numbers represent
people's homes, businesses, and livelihoods that have been destroyed or
tragically lost.
In my district, we deal with prolonged exposure to wildfire smoke,
which settles in the central valley and results in some of the Nation's
worst air quality.
As these wildfires become more aggressive, we need to take concrete
steps to combat wildfires, while also focusing on improving the long-
term management of our forests.
The bill we are considering today will help deploy new technologies
to combat widespread damage these fires cause to our communities, our
health, and our environment.
The Wildfire Fighting Technology Act would dramatically increase the
number of airlift assets available in wildfire emergencies. We should
be using every tool available to fight these fires.
Containerized Aerial Firefighting Systems, or CAFFS, are airdrop-
capable disposable containers for water or fire retardant, which can be
dropped from much higher altitudes with less visibility.
Current aerial firefighting operations depend on single-mission
aircraft, but CAFFS can be used by any standard cargo plane. The use of
CAFFS provides more coverage for firefighters on the ground and allows
teams to quickly respond to prevent smaller fires from becoming
uncontrollable.
These systems are being used in other countries, but not here in the
U.S. We have the technology that we can and should use to stop the
devastation of these fires.
The dangers and long-term impacts of wildfires are clear.
[[Page H4255]]
Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support the passage of the
Emergency Wildfire Fighting Technology Act to combat and contain these
fires in a quicker and more efficient way.
Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I again thank Mr. Valadao for bringing
this important piece of legislation. I thank the ranking member and the
minority for their support on this bill.
Again, we must provide all necessary tools for the wildland
firefighting agencies so that they can combat this wildfire crisis.
Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the bill, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3389, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________