February 5, 2024
(press release)
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Source:
H.R. 188 expands throughout the entire National Forest System the categorical exclusion for forest management projects that was secured for the
“Excess timber comes out of the forest in only two ways – it is either carried out or it burns out. For most of the 20th Century, we carried it out,” McClintock said. “Beginning in the 1970s, we began imposing environmental laws that have made the management of our lands all but impossible. Draconian restrictions on logging, grazing and prescribed burns and herbicide use on public lands have made modern land management endlessly time consuming and ultimately cost prohibitive.” The Proven Forest Management Act extends existing law that was passed with bi-partisan support and signed by
In the eight years that the
The recent Caldor Fire is instructive in illustrating the impact of the categorical exclusion. The Caldor fire affected a wide region that included the city of
The legislation will expand throughout the National Forest System the categorical exclusion for forest management projects that was secured for the
“H.R. 188 is a necessary piece of legislation that makes an existing 10,000-acre categorical exclusion only available in the
Congressman McClintock’s remarks delivered in committee in support of the measure are attached: Federal Lands Subcommittee
I want to thank the sub-committee for hearing H.R. 188. H.R. 188, the Proven Forest Management Act, extends an existing law, passed with bi-partisan support and signed as part of the WINN Act by
Under NEPA, a simple forest-thinning project requires an average of four and a half years of environmental studies that produce reports often exceeding 800 pages. They cost millions of dollars to produce – often more than the value of the timber we are removing. Federal timber auctions that once produced millions of dollars to the federal government now cost money, so not a lot gets done. Federal timber harvests in the Sierra have declined 80 percent as a result. The Lake Tahoe Categorical Exclusion has now been in effect for eight years. It has taken the review time for thinning projects from four and a half years to less than four months. It has cut the reports from 800 pages to a few dozen. Under this authority, the Tahoe Basin Management Unit has increased the removal of excess timber from one million board feet a year to an average of nine million board feet. Treated acreage in the
When the Caldor Fire broke out in 2021, it was out of control and bearing down on the
The town of Grizzly Flats wasn’t so lucky. It’s next door in the
The Amendment in the Nature of a substitute makes a few technical changes based on feedback from the
Specifically, it includes language to ensure that all of our National Forests and public lands managed by the BLM will benefit from the expedited active forest management provided by this legislation. In addition, this ANS addresses some concerns raised by the
Mark-up Hearing on H.R. 188
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