Forestry

(Red Bluff, CA) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement after the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) committed to correcting the Virtual Incident Procurement (VIPR) contracting issues in USFS Region 5. The USFS uses the VIPR system to contract for all firefighting resources not associated with a fire department including water tenders and other heavy equipment. For the 2020 fire season, Region 5 failed to meet its contracting goals meaning there were insufficient resources to call upon when the number of fires exploded. After Congressman LaMalfa and local contractors met with U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary Jim Hubbard earlier this month to discuss contracting issues, direct action was taken by the Trump Administration to begin to correct the problem for firefighting contractors in California.

(Butte County, CA) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa issued the following statement after the Butte Safe Fire Council reported that the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) had delayed fire mitigation projects in Berry Creek for eighteen months prior to the North Complex West Zone fire. In August 2018, the Council secured a $836,365 grant to create fuel breaks, reduce vegetation in the area, and clear fuels along evacuation routes but was never able to begin the process due to the lengthy CEQA delay.

(McLellan Park, CA) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa issued the following statement after President Donald Trump, Governor Gavin Newsom, CAL FIRE officials, and other stakeholders hosted a roundtable to discuss the ongoing fires in Northern California, and honored The California National Guard for their brave efforts to save stranded citizens

(Oroville, CA) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa issued the following statement after the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) authorized Fire Management Assistance Grants (FMAG) to assist the state of California in combating the Bear Fire, currently burning in Butte, Plumas, and Yuba Counties, and the Slater Fire, currently burning in Siskiyou County. FMAGs provide federal funding for up to 75 percent of eligible firefighting costs, including expenses for field camps, equipment use, materials, supplies and mobilization, and demobilization activities.

(Washington, DC) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement after introducing the Federal Wildland Firefighter Recognition Act with Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11). This bill directs the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to develop a separate and distinct Wildland Firefighter occupational series for employees whose main duties and responsibilities are preparing for, reducing fuels for, and the suppression of wildfires.

(Richvale, CA) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa invited Vice President Mike Pence, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, and U.S. Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen to California to understand how the severe lack of planning, personnel, and equipment has led to extreme wildfire damage. Widespread lightning strikes and the recent heatwave sparked over six hundred fires across the state, including the August Complex (181,051), North Complex (48,235 acres), and Loyalton Fire (47,029 acres) in California’s First District.

(Washington, DC) – Today, Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-CA-01) and Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-20) announced the introduction of the Emergency Wildfire and Public Safety Act. This bipartisan bill will help protect the West from catastrophic wildfires by implementing wildfire prevention projects, sustaining healthier forests, and providing important energy and retrofitting assistance to businesses and residences to protect from future risks of wildfire. Original cosponsors of the legislation include Congressman Greg Gianforte (R-MT-At Large), Congressman Jim Costa (D-CA-16), Congressman Josh Harder (D-CA-10), Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA-03), Congressman TJ Cox (D-CA-21), and Congressman Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24). The Senate companion bill is being led by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Senator Steve Daines (R-MT).

(Washington, DC) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement after the House passed H.R. 2546, the Colorado Wilderness Package.