Kern County Times

On May 10, Congressman Kevin McCarthy, Representative of California's 20th Congressional District and Speaker of the House, testified in support of his bipartisan legislation, the Save Our Sequoias (SOS) Act. This bill would would reform forest management practices within the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service to expedite fire protection projects in Giant Sequoia Groves located in the Sequoia National Forest, the Sequoia National Park, and other lands where these trees grow.
Congressman McCarthy also welcomed constituents who provided testimony in support of the SOS Act during today's hearing: Vice Chairman of the Tule River Indian Tribe Shine Nieto and Chairman of the Tulare County Board of Supervisors Dennis Townsend. Both Mr. Townsend and Mr. Nieto have witnessed the devastation caused by wildfires in the Sequoia National Forest and our local communities firsthand.
You can find Vice Chairman Nieto's testimony here and Chairman Townsend's testimony here 

Congressman McCarthy's testimony as prepared for delivery can be found below, or you can watch the full remarks here 

"Thank you Chairman Westerman for holding today’s hearing on the Save Our Sequoias or SOS Act, which Congressman Peters and I introduced earlier this year, along with you and Congressman McClintock, who sits on this committee. 
"And thank you to our witnesses today, including Tule River Vice Chairman Shine Nieto and Tulare County Supervisor Dennis Townsend both of whom are my constituents and traveled from California to be here to testify on the SOS Act. 
"I sit before you today to discuss the importance of the Save Our Sequoias Act, a piece of legislation that came together after working with my constituents and because Members from both sides of the aisle recognized the importance of robust forest management reform to protect Giant Sequoias.
"For millennia, Giant Sequoias have stood as one of earth’s most impressive natural wonders with some even dating back to the time of Christ. 
"But over the last few years, devastating wildfires have led to the loss of 20% of these iconic trees, which in their own habitats only die when they become so large they topple over.
"Last year, I led a bipartisan group of Members to visit these trees at the Sequoia National Forest in Tulare County, California so that we could see fire-related devastation in these groves firsthand. 
"As a result, the Save Our Sequoias Act was born, and I am proud to say that this bill now has 50 bipartisan cosponsors who have a shared commitment to protecting Giant Sequoias for future generations. 

"At its core, the SOS Act does four main things, it: 

• Improves interagency coordination;
• Uses science to target high-priority groves for treatments;
• Expedites environmental reviews for grove protection projects using streamlined emergency procedures already in place; and
• Provides land managers with new resources to get the job done.

"Simply put, it helps to reduce unnecessary bureaucratic red tape that makes it nearly impossible for local land managers on the ground to do their jobs. When dead trees and underbrush around the Giant Sequoias fail to be removed, it creates a tinderbox, serving as a natural accelerant for forest fires, acting like a ladder allowing flames to get into the forest canopy and ultimately threatening these ancient icons.
"This is unacceptable, and the time to act is now.
"Teddy Roosevelt once said: 'A grove of giant redwood or sequoias should be kept just as we keep a great and beautiful cathedral.' As the 'Conservation President,' his statement couldn't be more accurate.
"Perhaps that’s why several Giant Sequoias have been planted on U.S. Capitol grounds in order to preserve their history and inspire awe.
"This bill is the result of guidance and recommendations of those who know best: folks on the ground who work day in and day out with Giant Sequoias.
"From Tulare County to the Tule River Indian Tribe to the Giant Sequoia National Monument Association and others, combined with the technical input from the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service, this legislation would not have been possible. 

"With that being said, I would like to introduce two individuals from back home in my district who are in support of the Save Our Sequoias Act.
"Vice Chairman of the Tule River Indian Tribe, Mr. Shine Nieto who was on the ground and helped to directly combat the Windy Fire of 2021.
"The Tule River has a long history with and deep knowledge of caring for Giant Sequoias, and I am honored that he is here today in support of the SOS Act.
"And Dennis Townsend, Chairman of the Tulare County Board of Supervisors, who over the years has seen the direct impacts and devastation caused by wildfires in the Sequoia National Forest and local communities both he and I represent.
"As you begin this hearing Chairman Westerman, I would like to play a short video called 'Last of the Monarchs,' which was produced by the Mariposa County Resource Conservation District, that I think really drives the point home about the need for action now to protect Giant Sequoias.
"That was a really sobering video, Mr. Chairman.
"Thank you for holding this hearing and for allowing me to introduce my good friends, Shine and Dennis." 

Original source can be found here