Fix Our Forests Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. BENTZ. Mr. Chair, I thank Chair Westerman for yielding me time and for his tireless efforts as an engineer and a forester to help save our forests.

Mr. Chair, I am from Oregon. My State has some 15 million acres of Federal forests. H.R. 471 addresses many issues, but the fix of the infamous Cottonwood decision applicable to all 15 million of those Federal acres is one of the most important.

Section 122 of this bill clearly states that no additional consultation under section 7(a)(2) of the ESA will be required under certain circumstances set forth in the bill.

This part of H.R. 471 is one of the key provisions that constitutes the long-awaited fix for the 2015 Cottonwood decision. This reform limits unnecessary litigation, enabling forest management projects to proceed without undue delay, and ensures that critical restoration and fire prevention efforts can actually occur.

With this legislation, the Forest Service and BLM will no longer have to delay dozens of wildfire prevention projects anytime a new species is listed, critical habitat is designated, or other information is brought forward. This legislation will fix this wrongfully decided case.

Mr. Chair, I am in full support of this bill.

MR. HUFFMAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from central California (Mr. Panetta).

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