Op-Ed: Rep. Vince Fong: Los Angeles fires show that time is of the essence to reform fire prevention policies
"Why is the state of California spending billions of dollars a year on a mismanaged and failing high speed rail system when we can be using those precious resources to prevent catastrophic wildfires?"
Americans across the country are absolutely heartbroken by the devastation and destruction that we are seeing from the fires impacting Southern California. My community has sent fire personnel, resources and supplies to help fight these fires and help the victims. And we are seeing that same dedication from other states and countries.
We are continuing to pray for the affected by the fires in Los Angeles County and we will continue to assist to extinguish these fires. While our priority right now is to make sure that residents are safe and that the fires are put out, we must accept the realization that there are ever-present catastrophic wildfire challenges that plague Los Angeles and all of California.
As we assess the destruction that has been caused, we continue to see the reoccurring needs that must be addressed to prevent and minimize these disasters and to fight these fires when they do occur. These are practices that have been preached for years and have worked in fire-prone areas throughout the country — reducing fuels in our forests, constructing firebreaks and upgrading aging infrastructure, and investing in critical personnel and assets.
Sadly, I am too familiar with wildfires that affect our state. My community, from Fresno down to Kern County, has been impacted by numerous wildfires over the years with hundreds of thousands of acres burned, lives and property lost, and communities still trying to rebuild and recover. I have traveled to Paradise, California, which was devastated by the Camp Fire — standing in a school that was saved by proper forest management around it, only to look across the street and see homes in ruins.
To prevent fires before they start and to minimize risk, it is crucial to have effective vegetation and forest management. This is essential to reduce the fuel loads that exacerbate wildfires.
Clearing brush, removing the hundreds of millions of dead and dying trees, and creating defensible space around homes and infrastructure is vital. The large amount of fuels coupled with high winds is a recipe for disaster.
Only a fraction of the forests have been treated by the U.S. Forest Service and CalFire. California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) lawsuits continue to bog down fuel treatment projects as well as the construction of essential fire breaks. These laws were never envisioned to be used to prevent the protection of our communities.
There must be NEPA and CEQA exemptions for fuel management and for prescribed burns which are critical tools to implement proper wildfire mitigation. The Fix Our Forests Act, sponsored by Natural Resources Chairman, Rep. Bruce Westerman (R., Ark.) will provide streamlined processes and expedited reviews to get needed forest management projects completed.
My Save Our Sequoias Act will also streamline efforts and expand fuel management programs in California to save our iconic Giant Sequoias threatened by catastrophic wildfires. At this very moment, there are over 117 million acres of our nation’s forests that are overgrown, fire prone, and that need active management.
We must partner with our cities, counties, and tribal governments along with fire safe councils and local fire departments to give them the ability to clear brush along roadways and to improve the coordination with state and federal agencies. Expanding the pace and scale of active management is imperative.
We must act with a sense of urgency. It is not only Los Angeles that is prone to wildfires, yet we see the devastation that can occur if we do not work to actively protect communities in the wildland-urban interface. For years, I have been advocating for these commonsense policies to be implemented. Time is of the essence in California as our fire season never ends.
This all requires leadership and the political will to make tough decisions. It was disheartening to see Gov. Gavin Newsom (D., Calif.) call for a special session in Sacramento to “Trump-proof” California instead of focusing on the need to focus on the wildfire crisis at hand.
This special session has everyone in California and across the nation questioning the budget priorities of Governor Newsom. The millions of dollars to sue the incoming Trump-Vance administration could be used to address this immediate wildfire crisis. There must be a realization that poor policy decisions and the lack of investment have led us to this tragic moment.
Why is the state of California spending billions of dollars a year on a mismanaged and failing high speed rail system when we can be using those precious resources to prevent catastrophic wildfires?
As we look toward the future, we must learn the hard lessons from years and years of catastrophic wildfires and the devastation that has occurred. We must make sure that what is happening in Los Angeles does not happen again. We must prioritize preventative measures so that megafires do not destroy lives. We must meet this moment.
Rep. Vince Fong represents California’s 20th District in Congress.