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During this week’s Senate Budget Committee Hearing, Senator Brian Dahle (R-Bieber) offered amendments to require funding be appropriated for Forest Fuels Reduction programs. The funds would be distributed as grants with a legally established deadline. The projects are not only in the Senator’s district, but in other regions throughout California.
The following is a statement from State Senator Brian Dahle regarding the rejection of his plea to fund the over $400 million in forest management projects that have already gone through state and federal environmental reviews and are ready to go.
“It’s disheartening to see how out of touch this Legislature has become. Wildfires are burning, yet many are still unwilling to fund hundreds of shovel-ready forest management projects that are CEQA- and NEPA-approved. These are the same types of projects used to save Lake Tahoe from burning during the Caldor Fire, which is explained in the New York Times headlined, ‘To save Lake Tahoe, they spared no expense.’”
Senator Dahle added, “That apocalyptic, orange-glazed sky we see is smoke and ash from burned forests and Californians’ homes and businesses. When you look your constituents in the eyes who have just lost their homes, having been evacuated for weeks, you can’t help but be motivated to make changes. Their stories matter to me. There are critical actions we, as Legislators, need to take now – today – that will help our communities.”
A video of the exchange in committee can be found here:
A sample of projects ready to go can be found here
