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Congressman Tom McClintock

Representing the 4th District of California

Forest Fire

May 28, 2021
Current Issues

Click for Forest Fire Issues Link
 

FEMA Wildfire Assistance - Creek Fire

On October 16, 2020 a Major Disaster Declaration for the State of California was granted triggering the release of federal funds to help people and communities recover from wildfires that occurred September 4, 2020, and continuing. 

The declaration area includes Fresno and Madera Counties.  Read more on how to apply with FEMA.
 

Our Forests Tragedy

September 23, 2020 
Last week, President Trump came to California to be briefed on the horrific fires now raging in California. Instead, he got a lecture from Governor Newsom and his staff on climate change.



Creek Fire Damage Assessment Tour and Briefing

fire  
Creek Fire damage assessment tour at Huntington Lake with the US Forest Service, CAL FIRE, and community partners.  We appreciate the continued efforts of our first responders and are committed to rebuilding this community.

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Met with constituents in Shaver Lake on October 15th.  I truly appreciate them sharing their first hand accounts of the devastation of the Creek Fire.  This community is filled with strong and hardworking people.  I’m devoted to assisting in any way possible as they move forward with rebuilding.  More.
 

Creek Fire Incident Command Center

Creek Fire Command Center
Creek Fire Incident Command Center. Thank you to all of the firefighters, law enforcement officers and first responders who have been working around the clock to fight the Creek Fire.  More.

Lake Tahoe Summit - Remarks 

August 25, 2020 Speeches

It was great to be a part of the 24th annual Lake Tahoe Summit held on August 25th, 2020. A resilient Tahoe requires resilient forests – and resilient forests require active scientific management...

 

Forest Health and Fire Prevention

Tahoe Forest

Joined the Lake Tahoe Basin Fire Chiefs, Cal Fire, U.S. Forest Service Basin Management Unit and the Tahoe Fuels Partnership on August 11th 2020 for our annual field tour. I want to thank all of our partners who work tirelessly every day to protect Lake Tahoe.


Remarks In Support of Mechanized Fire Mitigation - Motion to Recommit - HR 2546 Wilderness Package

February 12, 2020 
The question presented in this amendment comes down to this: are we willing to protect our wilderness areas from catastrophic wildfire, or are we content to stand by and watch them burn.
 


Forestry Field Tour

Field tour in August 2019 with the Tahoe National Forest Basin Management Unit and the Western Caucus focusing on forest health, forest management and prevention of catastrophic wildfire.

 
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Fire Briefing 2018

Donnell Fire
Fire briefing at Dodge Ridge, August 2018. Very appreciative of the hard work, courage and dedication of all those who battle the fires.



McClintock Letter Calls for State-Wide Federal Assistance for California Fires
August 11, 2018 Press Release
U.S. Rep. Tom McClintock, CA-04, joined by 13 California members of the House of Representatives called on President Trump to continue to provide federal assistance for fire suppression and recovery.

 

Ferguson Fire

Ferguson Fire Drone Briefing
Congressman McClintock with Secretary Zinke receiving briefing on Ferguson Fire drone employment, July 21, 2018.  More.
 
 

Tahoe Basin Fire Prevention

Tahoe Fire Chiefs and Rep. McClintock
Congressman McClintock gathered May 2nd with leadership of the U.S. Forest Service's Tahoe Basin Management Unit, Tahoe District Fire Chiefs, and Cal Fire to ensure all practical measures are in work to prevent wildfire in the Tahoe Basin.  More.

 

Resilient Federal Forests Act

November 1, 2017 Speeches
Forty-five years ago, Congress enacted laws such as the National Environmental Policy Act, that promised to improve the health of our forests. They imposed what have become endlessly time-consuming and ultimately cost-prohibitive restrictions on our ability to properly manage our national forests so that we can match the tree density with the ability of the land to support it. After 45 years of experience with these laws, I think we’re entitled to ask, “How are the forests doing?” The answer is damning.

 

“We Are Running Out of Forests to Save”

October 3, 2017 Speeches
I want to thank Chairman Gosar of the Western Caucus for arranging this special order tonight. The wildfire crisis facing our forests across the West comes down to a simple adage. Excess timber comes out of the forest one way or the other. It is either carried out, or it burns out. But it comes out.
Issues: 
Forest Fire Prevention


Lake Tahoe Summit

August 22, 2017 Speeches
First, I want to thank Senator Feinstein for restoring the bi-partisan nature of this annual Tahoe Summit. Lincoln once reminded us “that we can succeed only by concert.” We demonstrated that maxim with the enactment of the Tahoe provisions in the Water Infrastructure Improvements Act last December. That wouldn’t have been possible without Republicans and Democrats coming together in Washington.
 

Detwiler Fire

July 26, 2017 Speeches
Mr. Speaker: I want to begin by saluting the more than 5,000 firefighters from 40 cooperating agencies that assembled under the coordination of CALFIRE to battle the Detwiler fire that threatened Yosemite Valley and its gateway communities
 

H.R. 1873 – Hazard Tree Removal

June 21, 2017 Speeches

H.R. 1873 – Hazard Tree Removal

 

Chairman’s Opening Statement - Subcommittee on Federal Lands

June 15, 2017 Speeches

Congressman McClintock is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Federal Lands.  The subcommittee held a legislative hearing on June 15, 2017.  Congressman McClintock delivered the following opening statement:

Chairman’s Opening Statement
Subcommittee on Federal Lands
House Natural Resources Committee
June 15, 2017

Issues: 
Forest Fire Prevention

 

Hearing on Wildfire Prevention

May 17, 2017 Speeches

Congressman McClintock is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Federal Lands.  The subcommittee held a hearing on May 17, 2017.  Congressman McClintock delivered the following opening statement:

Hearing on Wildfire Prevention
Federal Lands Subcommittee
House Natural Resources Committee

WRDA - A Critical Moment for Tahoe and the West

December 7, 2016 Speeches
WRDA Conference Report: Water for California; Fire Protection for Tahoe. The conference report on the Water Resources Development Act is the product of many, many hours of good-faith negotiations between the House and Senate and between Republicans and Democrats.

Federal Lands Subcommittee Legislative Hearing

May 12, 2016 Speeches
And here’s a song we’ve heard before: despite the high fire risk, BLM is not performing adequate fire prevention activities, particularly mechanical treatments, in the area because it is managed as a WSA. In addition, the location of the WSA hampers firefighting tactics, leaving local firefighters with no maneuvering room to protect life and property in the event of catastrophic wildfire.

Letter to the Editor - Sacramento Bee

February 22, 2016 Press Release

The attached letter to the editor from Congressman McClintock has been submitted to the Sacramento Bee:

Matt Weiser grossly misrepresents both Republican federal lands policy and my leadership of the House subcommittee that oversees it.

Our committee seeks to restore responsible stewardship of our national forests and protect the public’s right to enjoy the public’s lands.  

Letter to the Editor - Sacramento Bee

January 27, 2016 Speeches

February 22, 2016

The attached letter to the editor from Congressman McClintock has been submitted to the Sacramento Bee:

Matt Weiser grossly misrepresents both Republican federal lands policy and my leadership of the House subcommittee that oversees it.

Our committee seeks to restore responsible stewardship of our national forests and protect the public’s right to enjoy the public’s lands.  

Tahoe Restoration Act of 2015 Passes House Natural Resources Committee

October 8, 2015 Press Release

Rep. Tom McClintock’s (R-CA) and Rep. Mark Amodei’s (R-NV) H.R. 3382, the “Lake Tahoe Restoration Act of 2015” passed the House Natural Resources Committee today.  The legislation focuses resources on fire prevention and additional measures to protect the lake from the introduction of invasive species. 
 

Lake Tahoe Summit 2015

August 24, 2015 Speeches
Tahoe rests on the northern boundary of California’s Fourth Congressional District. Meanwhile, right now – as we speak – a catastrophic wildfire is raging in the King’s Canyon region on the southern boundary of this very same district. That fire has already consumed 78 square miles of national forests and at latest report is only 17 percent contained.

Tahoe Restoration Act of 2015 Introduced

July 30, 2015 Press Release

Congressman Tom McClintock (R-CA) and Congressman Mark Amodei (R-NV) introduced legislation yesterday to address catastrophic wildfire and invasive species threats to Lake Tahoe and the Tahoe Basin.  The Federal Lands Subcommittee chaired by McClintock had already considered the preliminary draft of H.R. 3382, “Lake Tahoe Restoration Act of 2015,” on July 14th, putting it on a fast track for House passage.

Resilient Federal Forests Act

July 9, 2015 Press Release

Congressman McClintock is a co-author of H.R. 2647 (Westerman), the Resilient Federal Forests Act. The legislation was approved by the House on July 9, 2015.  The bill next goes to the Senate. Congressman McClintock delivered the following House floor debate remarks in support of the measure:

Resilient Federal Forests Act
July 9, 2015

    Excess timber comes out of the forest one way or the other.  It is either carried out or it is burned out. 

    When we carried it out, we had healthy forests and a thriving economy.

Federal Lands Subcommittee Hearing: Litigation and Increased Planning’s Impact on Our Nation’s Overgrown, Fire-Prone National Forests

May 14, 2015 Speeches

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands held an oversight hearing on the impact of litigation on forest management, the U.S. Forest Service’s response to the growing challenge of litigation and related impacts upon forest health. 

Supervisor Randy Hanvelt of Tuolumne County provided testimony at the hearing.  Supervisor Hanvelt’s district includes large sections of the Stanislaus National Forest, an area severely impacted by the 2013 Rim Fire.

Federal Lands Subcommittee Hearing: The Devastating Impacts of Wildland Fires and the Need to Better Manage our Overgrown, Fire Prone National Forests

April 23, 2015 Speeches
Over the past thirty years, we have seen an 80 percent reduction in timber harvested from our national forests, and in the same period a concomitant increase in acreage destroyed by fire. This phenomenon far predates the Western drought and was best summed up by a forester long ago who observed, “All that excess timber comes out of the forests one way or the other. It is either CARRIED OUT or it is BURNED OUT. But it comes OUT.”