A House subcommittee hearing examines the role of state regulations in California's wildfire crisis, as Congress grapples with a disaster relief bill. The hearing highlights partisan disagreements over the causes of the wildfires and the best solutions, with Republicans blaming state policies and Democrats defending their environmental record.
A House subcommittee held a hearing on Thursday examining whether a series of state-level regulations in California have contributed to its growing issues with destructive wildfires that have caused billions in damage as Congress continues to debate a disaster relief bill to help the city rebuild. The wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles earlier this year killed 29 people, burned thousands of acres of land and destroyed numerous homes, buildings, and other structures.
All have been extinguished or contained after wreaking havoc on the region, but the area is trying to prepare for the difficult and costly endeavor of rebuilding after a natural disaster. President Donald Trump and other Republicans in Congress have blamed California’s Democratic leadership, particularly targeting Gov. Gavin Newsom, for mismanaging its water supply and failing to take enough preventative measures to keep fires from breaking out and spreading. “One would think California would prioritize mitigation efforts to reduce the number of the strength of fires. Unfortunately, California leaders have insisted and instead prioritized often counterproductive goals, like planting trees, installing electric vehicle charging stations over equipping their communities and first responders with the tools they need to protect their citizens and livelihoods,” said Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wis., who chairs the subcommittee that held Thursday's hearing. Newsom has disputed criticisms of his administration’s handling of forest and water management, highlighting billions in state investments into increasing the number of firefighters, increasing its aerial firefighting fleet, and conducting more controlled burns and clearing of brush and other plants that can serve as fuel to raging wildfires. Trump has particularly taken issue with what he sees as the longstanding mismanagement of California’s water supply, a feud with Newsom that dates back to his first administration. Issues with some hydrants running dry as firefighters battled the blazes were highlighted by Trump as he ordered federal officials to make plans to reroute water within the state. California’s water supply agencies have disputed the president’s claims about the system hurting the efforts in Los Angeles, saying hydrants ran dry because they were not built to fight wildfires and a key reservoir was empty due to ongoing maintenance. Newsom has also asked for an investigation into how the city’s water department managed both issues. Democrats in Congress have also pushed back against criticisms of California’s politics and environmental laws getting in the way of preventing wildfires. GOP witnesses at the hearing said California has continued to enact more regulations that prioritize environmental concerns that get in the way of possible solutions to preventing the spread of wildfires. “It's a confluence of bad policy involving brush clearance, water insurance, firefighting, housing, and climate change. California has created a tangled web of regulation that renders this once-innovative state incapable of accomplishing anything efficiently, even environmental protection,” said Steven Greenhut, resident senior fellow and Western Region director of state affairs at the R Street Institute.like mandating changes to the state’s water policies, changing its forest management, and unrelated issues like tying disaster relief to the debt limit or a voter ID law. “We’re going to get it fixed — though we’ll get it permanently fixed so it can’t happen again,” Trump said speaking to reporters in California. The approach to make aid conditional has been met with unanimous opposition from Democrats and received a mix response from Republican lawmakers that are concerned about the precedent it could set for future disaster responses
CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES DISASTER RELIEF CONGRESS REPUBLICANS DEMOCRATS GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM DONALD TRUMP ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS WATER MANAGEMENT
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