Dan-H
06-24-2002, 04:49 PM
http://kyl.senate.gov/p062002.htm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 20, 2002
CONTACT:
Matthew Latimer or
Andrew Wilder, (202) 224-4521
Kyl Issues Statement on Rodeo Fire
Working for Federal Dollars to Aid Fire Prevention Efforts
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) today issued the following statement on Wednesday's wildfire outbreak at Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest:
"I am very concerned about the Apache-Sitgreaves outbreak, which is damaging property and has the potential to endanger many lives. Arizona faces what may be its worst fire season on record, due to a combination of chronic drought and a failure to properly manage federal lands.
"The choice we have is clear. We can treat the forests with environmentally-sound applications, such as forest thinning, or risk losing forest ecosystems and critical habitat for centuries. As long as we allow fuels to gather on our forest floor, these outbreaks are inevitable. Yet our federal government devotes nearly 75 cents of every dollar to containing fires once they break out, rather than investing in treatment programs that we know will deter such dangerous outbreaks before they ignite.
"Environmentally-sound strategies such as forest thinning and controlled burns clear away small, dry, and disease-prone trees and underbrush that serve as kindling for fires and prevent healthy growth. Arizonans can see the results of such proper forest-management techniques firsthand. The White Mountain Fort Apache Indian Reservation, Mount Trumbell, and other places in our state prove that properly-thinned forests are not only healthier and fire-resistant, but much more attractive.
"Yet standing in the way of these efforts are radical environmentalists who file litigation and seek to otherwise obstruct forest treatment. They would rather the forests burn than to see sensible forest management. As of last month, there were 5,000 legal challenges pending against the U.S. Forest Service, which devotes nearly 40 percent of its resources to defending against lawsuits and complying with environmental regulations. This is time and money taken away from fighting fires.
"Along with other Western Senators, I am proposing legislation shortly to establish an ecological research institute in Arizona that will work with land managers to implement forest-restoration
treatments throughout the state. As it happens, my request for $1 million in federal funding for a pilot program to treat Apache-Sitgreaves through forest thinning was granted shortly before this wildfire broke out. We will work to fund more pilot programs throughout the state, because as long as we leave our forests untreated, we will guarantee catastrophic damage."
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 20, 2002
CONTACT:
Matthew Latimer or
Andrew Wilder, (202) 224-4521
Kyl Issues Statement on Rodeo Fire
Working for Federal Dollars to Aid Fire Prevention Efforts
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) today issued the following statement on Wednesday's wildfire outbreak at Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest:
"I am very concerned about the Apache-Sitgreaves outbreak, which is damaging property and has the potential to endanger many lives. Arizona faces what may be its worst fire season on record, due to a combination of chronic drought and a failure to properly manage federal lands.
"The choice we have is clear. We can treat the forests with environmentally-sound applications, such as forest thinning, or risk losing forest ecosystems and critical habitat for centuries. As long as we allow fuels to gather on our forest floor, these outbreaks are inevitable. Yet our federal government devotes nearly 75 cents of every dollar to containing fires once they break out, rather than investing in treatment programs that we know will deter such dangerous outbreaks before they ignite.
"Environmentally-sound strategies such as forest thinning and controlled burns clear away small, dry, and disease-prone trees and underbrush that serve as kindling for fires and prevent healthy growth. Arizonans can see the results of such proper forest-management techniques firsthand. The White Mountain Fort Apache Indian Reservation, Mount Trumbell, and other places in our state prove that properly-thinned forests are not only healthier and fire-resistant, but much more attractive.
"Yet standing in the way of these efforts are radical environmentalists who file litigation and seek to otherwise obstruct forest treatment. They would rather the forests burn than to see sensible forest management. As of last month, there were 5,000 legal challenges pending against the U.S. Forest Service, which devotes nearly 40 percent of its resources to defending against lawsuits and complying with environmental regulations. This is time and money taken away from fighting fires.
"Along with other Western Senators, I am proposing legislation shortly to establish an ecological research institute in Arizona that will work with land managers to implement forest-restoration
treatments throughout the state. As it happens, my request for $1 million in federal funding for a pilot program to treat Apache-Sitgreaves through forest thinning was granted shortly before this wildfire broke out. We will work to fund more pilot programs throughout the state, because as long as we leave our forests untreated, we will guarantee catastrophic damage."