Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Doug LaMalfa 1st District of California
Washington, D.C.—Today, Congressman LaMalfa’s (R-Richvale) bill, the Forest Protection and Wildland Firefighter Safety Act, passed the House as part of a larger permitting reform package, the PERMIT Act. The bill ensures that aerial fire retardant remains available for wildfire suppression efforts without being tied up in Clean Water Act permitting delays. The bill has earned strong support from local leaders, here’s what they’re saying:
Tod Kimmelshue, Chair Butte County Board of Supervisors: “Our county is more than familiar with how devastating a wildfire can be to a community. This act is instrumental in securing our access to aerial fire retardant, protecting the lives of our residents and our communities.”
Bill Connelly, Rural County Representatives of California, Butte County Representative: “Aerial fire retardant is one of the most effective wildfire suppression tools in our firefighting arsenal. Its swift application can stop a wildfire from becoming catastrophic — saving lives, property, and landscapes. The PERMIT Act includes Rep. Doug LaMalfa’s Forest Protection and Wildland Firefighter Safety Act, which will safeguard this critical tool for firefighting agencies, ultimately protecting our families, businesses, and communities.”
Doug Teeter, Butte County Supervisor: “The passing of the PERMIT Act (H.R. 3898), which includes Rep. Doug LaMalfa’s Forest Protection and Wildland Firefighter Safety Act (H.R. 3300), will greatly benefit the safety, health and well-being of the people of Butte County and surrounding communities. This bill will play an instrumental role in boosting wildfire responsiveness and protecting our forest lands.”
Greg Bolin, Town of Paradise, California: “The PERMIT Act (H.R. 3898), which includes Rep. Doug LaMalfa’s Forest Protection and Wildland Firefighter Safety Act (H.R. 3300), is a great step forward to preventing what happened to our communities from happening to others. We lost our town to one of the biggest wildfires in California history. Securing our access to aerial fire retardants for wildfire suppression is personal to us. Our firefighters need every possible tool in their arsenal to fight intensifying wildfires. This victory in ensuring our use of fire retardants will be disrupted will save lives and property against wildfires.”
Chris Edwards, President, Oregon Forest Industries Council: “In recent years, Oregon has witnessed the horrific devastation brought to our communities and forestlands during severe wildfire seasons. Year after year, the risk to our forests and the people who live around them has only increased, threatening wildlife habitat, air and water quality, and the health of our communities. That is exactly why I applaud the House for passing the PERMIT (Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today) Act (H.R. 3898) and including Rep. Doug LaMalfa’s Forest Protection and Wildland Firefighter Safety Act (H.R. 3300). The passage of H.R. 3300 is a turning point in our wildfire response efforts, eliminating delays in delivering fire retardant and boosting our arsenal in the fight against these impending threats.”
Paul Petersen, Executive Director of the United Aerial Firefighters Association (UAFA): “UAFA applauds Congressman LaMalfa’s leadership in ensuring his Forest Protection and Wildland Firefighter Safety Act was included in today’s passage of the PERMIT Act. Aerial fire retardants and suppressants are a critical tool to slow and stop the spread of wildfires, especially at Wildland-Urban Interfaces. Protecting lives and property should be paramount to our wildlife suppression efforts; therefore, it’s necessary to give our brave wildland firefighters all the needed tools to contain, control and defeat wildfires. The passage today ensures that federal, states and tribal governments will have continued access to deploy the use of aerial fire retardants and suppressants if disaster strikes.”
Matt Dias, President and CEO, Calforests: “The passing of the PERMIT Act (H.R. 3898) is a huge step forward in prioritizing the maintenance and health of our forests in Northern California. Comprehensive wildfire prevention tactics safeguard our communities at risk from catastrophic wildfire, but prevention is not enough. The PERMIT Act (H.R. 3898), which includes Congressman Doug LaMalfa’s Forest Protection and Wildland Firefighter Safety Act (H.R. 3300), will ensure that we have continued access to critical firefighting tools like aerial fire retardants, which have played an integral role in stopping our most devastating wildfires. This bill shows the continued commitment to prioritizing lives, land, businesses, and forested environments.”
Travis Joseph, President/CEO, American Forest Resource Council: “The Forest Protection and Wildland Firefighter Safety Act gives wildland firefighters the tools they need to protect lives, communities, and forests from catastrophic wildfire. It will prevent unnecessary litigation that could block the aerial use of fire retardants—one of the most effective tools we have to slow the spread of fast-moving fires. This commonsense bill, paired with proactive, science-based forest management, is essential to confronting our nation’s growing wildfire and smoke crisis. I’m grateful the House has included Rep. Doug LaMalfa’s Forest Protection and Wildland Firefighter Safety Act in the PERMIT Act — we cannot afford to let our forests burn while proven suppression and management tools are tied up in red tape.”
Congressman Doug LaMalfa is Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus and a lifelong farmer representing California’s First Congressional District, including Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama and Yuba Counties.
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