FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept 3, 2020.
Contact Eco-Advocates NW Director, Shannon Wilson
Twitter: Eco Advocates NW
Interstate 5 Billboard Campaign Urges Senator Wyden and Senator Merkley to Fund Firewise Measures to Protect Homes and Lives from Wildfires and Drop Funding to Federal Agencies for More Logging
Senator Wyden's 21st Century Conservation Act (S.3684) proposes more than $6 Billion to the US Forest Service and Oregon Bureau of Land Management to increase logging as a measure to prevent wildfires.
See attachment of S. 3684 Section by Section below.
However, many scientists including one of the U.S. Forest Services foremost fire scientists, Jack Cohen who has worked for the agency for more than 40 years states catastrophic losses of property and lives is a home ignition zone problem which can not be mitigated by thinning or logging more than 100 feet from homes. See Jack Cohen Guest Opinion published in August 9, 2020 attached below.
We are urging Senator Wyden and Senator Merkley to drop the provisions of the 21st Century Conservation Act that would grant federal lands agencies $6 billion for more logging and instead co sponsor Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) Wildfire Protection Act ( S.2882 ) and public support the companion bill by Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA) also called the Wildfire Defense Act H.R.5091 which would allocate $1 billion per year to help communities prepare wildfire plans and implement “Firewise" mitigation measures around homes and structures.
<Wyden's 21st Century Conservation Corps for our Health and our Jobs Act of 2020 Section by Section>
<Cohen_ Strohmaier_ home ignition zone is the wildfire problem_8_20.docx>