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Conservationists claim 'Save Our Forests Act' could worsen climate change
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Environmentalists said a bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives meant to curtail forest fires in New Mexico and elsewhere will do no such thing, and are encouraging Senators to vote against it.
The "Fix Our Forests Act" would reform the National Environmental Policy Act. The 55-year-old law requires environmental reviews and public input for major federal actions such as new logging, which supporters argued could mitigate wildfire risks.
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Dan Ritzman, lands, water and wildlife director of the Our Wild America campaign for the Sierra Club, believes the deceptively-named bill would undermine environmental protections.
"The Sierra Club has long supported science-based, responsible forest management," Ritzman pointed out. "We echo the experts who support prescribed burns, responsible forest management, and we support home and community hardening to make neighborhoods and cities more resilient in the face of fires."
New Mexico's largest utility company recently warned customers in several fire-risk areas, including Santa Fe, high wind events often increase in the spring, and reminded residents to be prepared for potential power shut-offs to ensure power lines are not a source of wildfires.
Senator Ed Markey, D-Mass., said to combat climate change, the U.S. needs more renewable energy including solar, wind and battery storage technology. Instead, he noted the focus is on DEI, the acronym for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
"They keep invoking DEI but we know that DEI to Donald Trump just means 'Defending Elon's Interests,'"Markey contended. "It's just such an incredible power and money grab."
President Donald Trump has repeatedly called climate change a "hoax" and recently suggested he might end the Federal Emergency Management Agency's role in responding to local climate disasters. Many state leaders already have said they do not have the resources to tackle such events on their own.