{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://tipton.house.gov/press-release/subcommittee-hold-oversight-hearing-catastrophic-wildfires-and-need-active-forest", "Subcommittee to Hold Oversight Hearing on Catastrophic Wildfires and the Need for Active Forest Management", "2013-07-08", "2013", "2013-07", "Republican", "House", "CO", "Scott Tipton", "T000470", "tipton.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation will hold an oversight hearing on Thursday, July 11th on \u201cWildfire and Forest Management.\u201d\nThis hearing will discuss the current wildfire season and ways to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire through proactive, healthy forest management.\u00a0 While factors such as prolonged drought continue to raise the risk of wildfire, it is imperative that the federal government actively address the one issue within its control: hazardous fuels.\u00a0 Unnatural, excessive growth and unhealthy forests increase the risk of wildfire. Active management helps protect and restore forests while also helping local economies and creating jobs.\n\u201cThis week, Arizona experienced the most tragic wildfire in state history when we lost 19 brave firefighters to the Yarnell Fire,\u201d said Congressman Paul Gosar (AZ-04). \u201cWe owe these men our everlasting thanks and we owe their families a commitment to pursue pro-active forest management policies, which will minimize catastrophic wildfires in the future, while protecting our communities and restoring the environment. This hearing helps the committee\u2019s efforts to achieve these goals.\u201d\n\u201cWhether manmade or caused by mother nature, catastrophic wildfires are exacerbated by the overabundance of fuel.\u00a0 Dried, dead, or decaying trees and other fuels have been a scourge for many western states where wildfires are most prevalent. Reducing fuels through responsible land management, including decreasing the spread of insect and disease infestations like the bark beetle, is essential to reducing the risk of major wildfires,\u201d said Subcommittee Chairman Rob Bishop (UT-01).\n\u201cPrevention: a simple idea with profound implications for the future of western forests and communities. Right now, fires are burning tens of thousands of acres in Colorado, in my district. The incident commanders in charge of suppression efforts on the 97,000 plus acre West Fork Fire, which has threatened entire communities, told me that the behavior of the fire is unprecedented. Because of all of the beetle-killed timber and dry conditions, the fire has acted in a way that defies computer models and has been incredibly devastating,\u201d said Congressman Scott Tipton (CO-03). \u201cThe most tragic part of this is that the occurrence of these forest fires could be reduced, if not outright prevented, with commonsense healthy forest management.\u00a0 By taking action such as removing hazardous fuels and allowing the forests to thrive in a healthy natural state we could prevent the future loss of life, destruction of property, safeguard water supplies and species habitats, and promote a healthy natural environment. This is a Western emergency, and this hearing will be about what needs to be done to address it and save our forests.\u201d\n\u201cFor years federal bureaucrats, heavily influenced by environmentalists, have failed to actively manage our national forests, which can lead to out-of-control wildfires, and threaten life and property in our Western States. We need the federal government to work more closely with state and local governments to better manage the forest lands and protect the surrounding communities,\u201d said Congressman Doug Lamborn (CO-05).\n\t\t\t\tWHAT:\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tSubcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation oversight hearing on \u201cWildfire and Forest Management.\u201d\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\tWHEN:\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tThursday, July 11, 2013\n\t\t\t\t\t10:00AM\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\tWHERE:\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t1334 Hearing Room in the Longworth House Office Building", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://tipton.house.gov/press-release/subcommittee-hold-oversight-hearing-catastrophic-wildfires-and-need-active-forest"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0341131128370762, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}