Dreier Supports Bill To Protect Foothills’ Forests

May 16, 2006

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman David Dreier (R-San Dimas,CA), Chairman of the House Rules Committee, voted today to allow more coordinated and more effective recovery actions to be taken after disaster strikes federal land. H.R. 4200, the Forest Emergency Recovery and Research Act, was approved by a bipartisan vote of 243-182.

"When disaster hits federal land, an action plan needs to be ready to go so recovery is quick and efficient. This is especially important in the Foothills, where fires, floods, and mudslides have done serious damage to our national forests in recent years," said Dreier. "This bill protects the Foothills’ forests by putting in place common sense procedures so the government can better prepare for and respond to disasters on federal lands."

The Forest Emergency Recovery and Research Act emphasizes rapid assessment of forest damage, immediate action, and quick funding to restore landscapes and avoid adding to the reforestation backlog. The legislation requires a catastrophic event recovery evaluation any time at least 1,000 acres of federal land are affected by disaster. It gives federal land managers the tools necessary to more quickly restore damaged parts of America’s national forests - without waiving environmental laws - if quick action is found to be beneficial to the long-term health and recovery of the forest. H.R. 4200 also allows the Agriculture and Interior departments to develop research protocols for new strategies to rehabilitate habitat and forestation.

"Ensuring our federal land managers can react quickly when catastrophe strikes will go a long way toward making the recovery process less costly and less time consuming," said Dreier. "This is particularly true in the Angeles and San Bernardino forests which have been hit hard not only by wildfires and winter storms, but also by bark beetles."

The legislation has the support of a variety of organizations including the National Federation of Federal Employees, the Society of American Foresters, and the National Association of Counties.