FEMA bill sparks fight over wildfires, congressional failures

October 01, 2020

A House markup of disaster relief and water legislation erupted into a debate about the role of climate change in Western wildfires and Congress' role in thwarting disaster.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee yesterday approved a bundle of bipartisan bills by voice vote, including a measure tied to federal support in the wake of natural disasters and legislation on Western water.

But House members clashed when it came time to approve H.R. 8266 from Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), a measure that would give states billions of dollars from the federal disaster fund to help pay for emergency costs related to the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires (E&E Daily, Sept. 29). The bill ultimately passed by voice vote with a number of amendments.

DeFazio said his district, like others, is facing historic wildfires amid an ongoing pandemic, as well as stretched or exhausted state and local budgets. He also said President Trump has yet to respond to his request in March for additional cost-share assistance for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

DeFazio's bill would allow for draining the Disaster Relief Fund by increasing federal reimbursement to states for disaster costs in 2020. It would also require FEMA, which operates the fund, to pay 100% of certain state costs related to the pandemic and 90% of state costs for recovering from natural disasters this year.

But Republican Rep. Bruce Westerman of Arkansas said Congress is sitting on the sidelines as the climate warms and forest fuel builds up.

Westerman said he's not blaming the states of Oregon, Washington or California but instead pointing the finger at Congress for not allowing federal agencies like the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to do their jobs. He blamed Democrats for that.

Westerman, who also sits on the Natural Resources panel, pushed for "sound policies" for federal officials to better manage forests.

"Every time we try to change those laws, we find out that our lands are actually being managed by lawyers, activists and by courts that are stopping all management on the lands," he said.

That argument echoes comments President Trump made during the presidential debate Tuesday night when he blamed poor forest management for historic fires on the West Coast — assertions that forest policy experts say confuse the issue (Greenwire, Sept. 30).

DeFazio shot back that under the George W. Bush administration, when he was on the Natural Resources panel, lawmakers adopted the bipartisan Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 with the idea of reducing fuel loads.

"Sadly, the Bush administration, the Obama administration and now this administration have all failed to adequately fund that program. Until two years ago, the Forest Service was required to pay for all its own fires until I and others got that changed," DeFazio said. "We still need a hell of a lot more investment in those programs."

Lawmakers in recent years took action to increase payments for fighting wildfires, ending the practice of "fire borrowing." There are also several management bills in play including S. 4431 from Sens. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) (E&E Daily, Sept. 15).

DeFazio went on to blast his Republican colleagues for not acknowledging the role of climate change in wildfires, through lower humidity, hurricane-strength wind and rising temperatures.

The chairman said that of the 273,000 acres burned up the river from his district, two-thirds of the land was heavily managed, thinned or clear-cut. Some of that included old growth.

Other Democrats, like Rep. Jared Huffman of California, accused his colleagues of using current tragic wildfires to dust off a "preexisting agenda" to push large-scale logging to address a crisis tied to climate change.

DeFazio said, "Yes, we need to manage better, but this stuff is far beyond the intensity ever seen before. We don't get northeast winds at hurricane force."

DeFazio amendments

Transportation and Infrastructure Committee lawmakers approved five amendments to DeFazio's H.R. 8266 before passing the bill.

That included a provision from Democratic Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell of Florida to immediately approve grants for states and tribes requesting pandemic help from FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program even without administration approval.

Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) said he opposed to the measure, saying local officials have a choice to raise taxes, cut spending or incur debt.

The panel approved four amendments from Graves. One would add law enforcement to a list of specific essential employees eligible for protective equipment.

Another amendment would require a Department of Homeland Security inspector general audit of assistance funds.

A third amendment would require a study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine on how the government uses the Stafford Act for events like the COVID-19 pandemic.

The fourth amendment would give FEMA a third year for work on temporary housing for disaster victims, said Graves.

The agency, he said, missed its deadline to complete work and needs more time, which would benefit both taxpayers and those affected by disasters.

"It's inappropriate that agencies miss statutory deadlines, this just ensures that disaster victims and taxpayers aren't the ones that suffer as a result," said Graves.

Other bills

The committee also passed H.R. 4611, from Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.), to increase wastewater recycling from the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant and reduce ocean outflows.

The bill looks to cut some regulatory barriers that supporters say would make their efforts more difficult and expensive. Business and environmental groups are behind the proposal.

Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Chairwoman Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.) offered an amendment that included technical changes.

Graves at one point offered — and then quickly pulled — an amendment that would have expanded H.R. 4611 to ease regulations for all similar projects in the state of California. Graves said he wanted to make a point against "one-size-fits-all" regulation.

Another water bill, H.R. 7705, the "River Basin Commission Transfer Act" from Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), was pulled from consideration.


By:  Hannah Northey
Source: E&E News