McClintock's Rim Fire Emergency Salvage Act passes House
The Rim Fire Emergency Salvage Act by Congressman McClintock was approved Feb. 6 by the House of Representatives as part of a larger bill, HR 2954 (The Public Access and Lands Improvement Act). Title IX of that bill compromises the Rim Fire Salvage Act.
The salvage language is the result of consultations with Democratic offices and with the U.S. Forest Service. The compromise language assures compliance with all environmental laws and maintains judicial review, while assuring that salvage can begin this spring.
“The region’s economy has been devastated by the fire and by increasingly stringent federal restrictions and land acquisitions that have ravaged the timber, livestock, mineral and tourist industries,” said McClintock upon passage of the legislation. “This measure means jobs for hundreds of lumberjacks, mill workers, truckers, and all those who support them. It means millions of dollars of economic activity and millions of dollars of federal revenues for reforestation. The focus is now on the Senate, which must join the House in enacting legislation that will protect the forest and the environment and help to prevent future cataclysmic fires.”
After passage of the measure by the House Congressman McClintock sent letters to Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer urging swift action on the measure in the Senate