Continental Divide Trail Completion Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. HOYER. Madam Chair, in September of 2020, as the El Dorado fire raged through California, Big Bear hotshot firefighter Charlie Morton said to his loved ones what he always said when there was a fire in the area: ``I've got to go protect my mountains.''

Hotshots like Morton serve in the Vanguard. They are tasked with making the area safe for other firefighters to operate. As one hotshot explained: ``We do not get to turn around and walk away.''

I am hopeful that the Congress today does not turn around and walk away. This bill is a step to deal with the extraordinary consequences of climate change that is afflicting our country. Yes, it is the West of our country, but it is afflicting us all, in particularly, the West.

Firefighter Morton knew his work was extremely dangerous, but he did it anyway because he believed in the importance of protecting our Nation's forests and the communities they sustain.

On September 17, 2020, backed into a corner by the encroaching flames, Morton laid down his life in defense of that conviction. It was a noble sacrifice but one that no one should have to make.

Much like Morton and his fellow hotshots, America cannot afford to turn around and walk away from the issue of wildfires.

We must do everything we can to ensure that other brave firefighters do not have to give the full measure of their devotion as Morton did. That is why I am proud to serve as co-chair of the Congressional Fire Service Caucus and to bring this Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act to the floor today.

Exacerbated, as we know, by the climate crisis, parts of the American West are experiencing the worst drought in 1,200 years, and this is fueling deadly and damaging wildfires affecting millions of Americans.

These disasters, Madam Chair, tear through communities and inflict untold destruction and grief.

This issue doesn't just affect those living in the West, however. As I have said, the effects of drought and wildfires cost our country tens of billions of dollars each year. We all pay a price; not the price that Morton paid, but we pay a price.

To my friends on the other side of the aisle who constantly deride our attempts to address the climate crisis as too expensive, I would remind them that the cost of inaction in the form of more frequent, more severe fires, droughts, and other natural disasters is far greater.

From time to time, I quote a former Governor of our State, Ted Agnew, who, in his inaugural address in 1967, on the east front of the capitol in Annapolis, where I was just entering as a new State senator, said: ``The cost of failure far exceeds the price of progress.'' That is true here.

We must not fail, and we must respond. And we must respond effectively.

This legislation will help us prevent and fight future wildfires by making investments to support our firefighting response and to protect vulnerable communities from wildfire. This bill, for instance, would establish a minimum basic pay of roughly $20 an hour for wildland firefighters and ensure they have access to other benefits, such as at least 1 week of mental health leave.

Additionally, this legislation will authorize a 10-year national wildfire response plan, building on actions already taken by the Biden administration, and it will expand the role of Tribes and conservation corps programs in reducing wildfire risks.

This bill, Madam Chair, also includes $500 million in Federal funding to programs to preserve key Colorado River reservoirs, an absolutely critical objective for us all. Tens of millions of Americans rely on that water.

All of these provisions will help us build on the progress we made with the fire and drought protection measures, including the bipartisan infrastructure law, which included close to $17 billion for wildfire and drought prevention and response.

As an aside, Madam Chair, I am told some say this is an authorizing bill. It is an authorizing bill. That is regular order. It will be our responsibility to then appropriate the funds that are necessary to carry out the objectives of this bill, and I hope we can do so in a bipartisan way.

I thank House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raul Grijalva for his leadership and Mr. Neguse, the ranking member, as well, for the work that they have done. Whether they agree or not, there has been joint work on this bill. I thank Chairs David Scott, Frank Pallone, Eddie Bernice Johnson, and Carolyn Maloney for their committees' contributions.

We can take meaningful action to address these wildfires and drought by voting ``yes'' on this bill.

Madam Chair, although Charlie Morton perished in the El Dorado fire, his courageous efforts and those of his fellow firefighters made it possible to extinguish, ultimately, the flames. They were able to protect Morton's mountains, including a pristine meadow now named in his memory.

They did their part to defend our forest and our communities. Today, Madam Chair, we must do our part.

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