The good morning. We call this hearing to order. So far 2017 as all the guests of the panel know in 2017, fires have burned oregon 8 million acres in the United States. We need to find solutions to address this threat to their communities and wildlife. Today the committee is going to hear testimony on three bills related to catastrophic wildfires burning across the west. Senate 605 relief for Forest Management projects which would address conflict in Circuit Court decisions and prevent close the ways in the Forest Management as a result of duplicate of consultation requirements. The committee will hear testimony on the bill as 1417 the Habitat Conservation restoration act of 2017 in the opinion in juniper trees that are Invasive Species that we dod to wildfires had compromised habitat across the west. We also have the senators 1731 t1731the Forest Management improvement act of 2017 which provides the Forest Service with a series of tools to address the evergrowing wildfire threats filled with dead and dying trees. Each of these addresses a different but important part of the Forest Holding fire prevention. Decades of Fire Suppression in rapid decline in active management have lead to overly dead forests susceptible to disease and outbreaks. It leaves dead trees which are poor habitat for iconic species with other wildlife that depend on the ecosystems. The trees affect watersheds as well as there are no longer leaves or needles to hold the snow to build winter snowpack. In addition, these are much more prone to catastrophic fires. These fast moving fires cause damage to the ecosystem and surrounding communities. They are the obvious impacts from the five years and we have a poster board to show b b running away from a wildfire with wildlife that is burned, homes and habitat loss and smoke that rose into the air. Smoke triples for miles and challenges as this poster shows a woman and her child walking with masks over their faces because of the impact of the smoke from the fire. Its not uncommon to see them wearing face masks, coughing, sneezing and watery eyes leads people to ask is it damaging my health but on september 11, the National Public radio article highlighted these concern concee and labels it a a copy for the record. 2017 alone, the schools in oregon montana and florida canceled classes keep children inside and away from the smoke. While smoke and ash dispersed relatively quickly other impacts remain for years to come. After catastrophic fires extinguished by brave wildfire were early snow, the forest ecosystems lose their topsoil and sterilized disloyal. Without a strong system to hold it back, the landscapes experienced massive erosion. Dirt, sand and others quickly accumulate increase in quality municipal water systems. Sediment levels raise water temperature and can also be a cause of widespread fish kills. Whats most egregious is the land managers could mitigate a significant portion of the risks. Fire is a historically part of the ecosystem, both of these large unmatchable catastrophic wildfires are not. In order to address the threat, we need to actively manage forests with access deadwood. Large stands of dead trees need to be removed in a timely fashion so we are not facing another 8 million acres of burned land. We must act quickly to address the risk to human health, infrastructure and valuable ecosystems. This millions in federal land, forest land and by your need off restoration and other attention. Last year the service estimated up to 100 million acres are at a risk of wildfire. Today we will hear about the bills that address bureaucratic processes that the way the proactive prevention and Ecosystem Management that can save lives, property and protect a forest diverse wildlife. Before we moved to the sponsors and cosponsors of the bill for the remarks i will turn to the Ranking Member for his remark. Thank you for putting us allf altogether. Welcome to our colleague. Delighted to be holding this for all of us whether we are from the Great Northwest with them the little state on the east coast. Increasingly hurricanes catastrophic and these disasters disrupt peoples lives from home, safety and likelihoods and wildfires and hurricanes are in peril wildlife trade i agree with the Government Accountability office and Climate Change contributes to making these disasters more severe. They are becoming more common and destructive and more expensive with each passing ye year. We are seeing that across those southwest to the devastation in puerto rico and the iowans in the last week. In the federal budget deficit for this year climbs past 700 billion is headed higher among other things we need to ensure that we help reduce the risk of future disasters and plan for the response cost. When it comes to planning for Severe Weather events, and outspoken prevention is worthy of the cure. Today i look forward to hearing from our colleagues in the witnesandwitnesses how best to e this. We need to make sure we are taking appropriate steps to prevent wildfires from occurring. I agree with my colleagues to need for preparation and response to these unprecedented wildfires. However, we cannot really than the environmental law are to blame. To the National Environmental policy act and endangered species act and existing authorities must also have droppeadopted budgets proactiver thprovided for themanagement ang activities. They need to mitigate the risk that the problem is getting worse. Spending half of the annual budget over half. They address the natural disasters that weve been witnessing in the country in recent years and i ask unanimous consent to enter documents from the concerned stakeholders. We know you have very busy schedules so once you got the chair to chance to share we would welcome you to get into the remainder of your schedule so we would like to start with you. Thank you very much mr. Chairm mr. Chairman. This particular legislation would streamline the management projects to conserve and restore the habitat in a way that carries them with an added benefit of reducing fuel wireless for catastrophic wildfires. He was eager to join the senator in introducing this legislation because across the west. They share similar is by habitat for the habitat to support for these iconic western species. As the fish and Wildlife Service would agree, it provides artificial nesting sites for predators of sage grouse. Of this expansion carries widespread ecological benefits intact wildlife managers and the west have worked to convert the opinion and it stands to the stage because doing so increases the soil and water availability which improves wildlife carrying capacity and reduces the risk and benefits the big game populations particularly. Fire suppression efforts over the years have allowed expansion to go unchecked and as a result its not historically occupied because wildfire which threatens wildlife, private property and human life is no longer a viable option for combating the expansion. Its replicating the benefits of wildfire while avoiding its associated damages to natural habitat. The adjacent property or human neighbors. Our legislation has stalled on thbuild on thesuccess by removiy cumbersome and Environmental Review processes for the Vegetation Management projects. The benefit of the ecosystems. There is a commonsense priority but found responsible management effort by federal agencies frequently are delayed by the needless pure graphic in sediments such a Health Safeguard and reinvigorate it the habitat for the approval of the management projects by giving the bureau of Land Management expanded tools to aid the efforts. Theyve come out to support. Im confident the passage of this legislation will bolster the Ecological Health and sustainable population of wildlife species that depend on the sagebrush appetite. It also reduces the risk of catastrophic wildfire in accomplishing this goal i believe we can benefit the communities throughout the west that rely on Natural Resource development as economic drivers while still sending a clear message then we are serious about sound environmental stewardship. I appreciate the opportunity to speak to this bill and i want to thank the chairman of the members of the committee. Thank you mr. Chairman, Ranking Member carper i appreciate him and members of the committee, i appreciate the invitation and opportunity to speak on behalf of the bill introduced in August August 21731, the management improvement act. Weve all heard the same. This happened in 64 where for six days and seven nights they watched helplessly as the city burned. Fast forward in 2017 and we have a familiar scene. January 1 of this year through today americans have watched 49,000 fires burn more than 8. 4 million acres of forest land. According to the service, wildfires burned in a project 6. 9 million acres every single year. After nearly a quartercentury of handsoff management Fire Suppression costs have grown from 16 in 1995 to 52 of the annual budget in 2015. We must take steps to improve the nations forest land by being much more aggressive and proactive. Because they are occurring on ththe largescale across the western United States proactive management to protect the forest must be initiated on the largescale. They are declining Forest Health and in short, might build would increase current categorical exclusions from 3,000, 10,000 acres to allow them to take steps to rapidly salvage dead and dying trees after the wildfires ice storms or wind events and expedite the Environmental Review process before, create a single Good Neighbor of authority policy, and five, clarified the congressional intent upon the stewardship contracting and final basics, provide greater certainty for the project level discussions or decisions through the litigation release. We must allow expanded use of the 21st century techniques by Land Management professionals and not cave to the perfect meal specialists in the litigators whose misguided efforts have resulted in disasters in the forest land. To bring them back to the natural conditions we should waste no time to use this technology to preserve and protect the nations forest landscape. And even continues to consult with the agency for projects under this plan. Sova for service actively from timber harvest to watershed restoration could have an injunction for years while updated ted no guarantee it will not be updated again and again as new species are changed for called up while the forest those of managed. The kahn with decision has led to injunctions on five digitation projects in montana along. Lines included fire mitigation across regions one, too, and for 80 projects are a risk of this bill has a bipartisan fixed to the court case we need to support the recovery of endangered species that blocking force management does not help us this legislation that you will consider today though litigation relief for Forest Management act will address those pressing issues for the Forest Service to cut trees to mitigate though wildfire hazard and strengthen habitat and maintain a force for pro to assure those plans to make sense if they could get started other projects instead of being stuck in a constant bureaucracy and endless litigation. Rollout and to spend more time in the woods and less time in the courtrooms. This will help the forest projects move forward better carefully designed to take input from fish and wildlife in from the public and ideally holed up in court. To get the job done they need the resources to do the analysis. If it spends over half the money in fighting fires that is less money for Forest Management to create recreational access or watershed projections and the Due Diligence to succeed. The Forest ServiceAuthority Borrowing 300 million to cover firefighting cost this depletion means they cannot responsibly managed the forest making a harder to mitigate the impact but sadly the senate has a big problem. We may not be able to move decide how to tackle Climate Change but we should give the Forest Service the tools they need irresponsibly managed the forest. That is a good start we have to address the funding issues as well. Senator welcome to the committee. Thanks for holding todays hearing to increase active force management with a Damaging Court decision that creates red tape to block projects with no benefit to the species we burned over 1 million acres this fire season and the Ranking Member says it was the size of the state of delaware. We also lost to Fire Fighters fighting those buyers. This legislation codifies that legal position taken by the Obama Administration department of agriculture and interior undercurrent administration has set up six to express support. Montana had two of the three most expensive fires in the nation a just saw the report yesterday. We were number one in denver to a number three. Furthermore representatives have introduced bipartisan companion legislation in the house. We have a also supported by dozens of organizations, a sportsman, and conservation groups it has strong bipartisan groups and support. Sponsoring the ninth circuit ruling with the cottonwood fire and rental center that we have to do with extra level of planning and consultation with fish and wildlife following the designation of critical habitat for the links species so to be clearer vision wildlife were already conducting robust scientific analysis with regard to though links habitat so they were and are fully committed to the cotton would ruling is in contrast to the tenth circuit ruling on a related case in 2007 but unfortunately in 2016 the Supreme Court declined the Obama Administration petition to resolve the conflicting Circuit Court opinions which uphold the ninth circuit ruling. Has highlighted by president obama the card would ruling has the potential to cripple the Forest Service and Land Management functions. Doj highlighted the decisions to substantially increase paperwork without any conservation benefit that the department of justice noted 850 listed species in a geographical area to emphasize the sheer volume of the volume to the decision. We see this firsthand and montana as it is prioritized consultation with fish and Wildlife Service above the grizzly bear consultation so today there are projects in montana that have been blocked to those injunctions due to the cottonwood decision. They were designed to reduce those critical objectives and to protect Water Quality several of those is a collaborative process of the stakeholders to improve Forest Health yet each one was stopped to those capitalizing on the ninth circuit disastrous cotton would ruling. But as senator jester just alluded to the injunction of the stonewall digitation project near lincoln montana this was a joint days before the work was supposed to begin in one month later guess what happened . Fires broke out on the very acres that would have been treated under this project. And i cannot say it would have prevented the fire but the fact that it occurred in areas that could not be treated shows we need to pass Bipartisan Legislation that refers to this decision. Is simply clarifies that the federal agencies do not need to do the extra layer of unnecessary consultation required by congress so to remove this burden will allow agencies to have more time on the ground so together with other management and other firefighters we say we manage the forest or the forest will manage just. We look forward to working with this committee. Record you bringing for this bipartisan piece of leadership and now well hear from our witnesses. I am pleased to first introduced the policy adviser for wyomings governor. Her work for the government Governors Office and former policy analyst, jessica knows the value of strong coordination among states and federal and local agencies. Holding her bachelors and masters degrees where she studied post fire activity including grazing she is the key member of the task force which concluded jeanmarie 2015 if she continues to work closely to develop forestrys solutions for wyoming. She wears many hats offering a unique perspective i appreciate you making the trip to look forward to hearing your suggestions for the next generation and in addition we have the general counsel to the american Forest Resource council. And also good to see you again mr. President and ceo from the National Wildlife federation your whole testimony will be made part of the rehearing please keep your comments at five minutes and we may have time for questions. Please begin. Good morning members of the committees figure for the opportun