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September 21, 2021

Been There, Done That on Broken Promises on Wildfire Prevention

Pacific Research Institute

Been There, Done That on Broken Promises on Wildfire Prevention
While touring wildfire damage in Northern California, President Biden touted billions in proposed federal dollars for wildfire resilience and forest management. But California dollars that should be spent on fire prevention, forest management, and equipment upgrades to reduce fire risk instead fund the state’s costly global warming agenda.


California Has “Been There, Done That”
It will take more than throwing money at the problem to prevent future deadly wildfires across the Western U.S. In practice, California’s global warming laws have resulted in the state failing to meet one of its most basic responsibilities – effectively managing its forests to prevent future destructive wildfires. Worse, on the heels of a scandal over Gov. Newsom’s false claim that hundreds of millions in state funds were actually being spent for wildfire prevention, taxpayers have little confidence that money earmarked to protect communities will be spent as promised.
How Embracing the California Global Warming Agenda Won’t Reduce Emissions, Wildfire Risk
“Newsom’s overlooking and underfunding wildfire prevention projects and lack of investment are a head-scratcher. Add the state drought into the picture and it is almost negligent that the Newsom administration seemingly doesn’t have their stuff together on wildfires.” — “Newsom’s Misguided Funding Priorities on Wildfire Prevention,” Evan Harris, Right by the Bay, 7/7/21	“The intention of the California approach is to improve the environment and create a low-cost, low-emission energy infrastructure for the state. In practice, these policies either create avoidable problems (e.g. rolling blackouts) or fail to meet their basic responsibilities (e.g. efficiently manage the forests to avoid uncontrolled wildfires).” — “Wildfires, Global Climate Change, And The Policy Environment,” Wayne Winegarden, Forbes, 9/11/20
“By failing to take sweeping action to address the growing fire risk, the State is actually undermining its climate change goals. The 2018 fires alone released more than 45 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, producing over nine times the emissions that were reduced in 2017, according to Beacon Economics. This year’s record-breaking fires will further set back California’s efforts.” —“California’s Failed Climate Change Policy,” Dan Kolkey, Real Clear Energy, 10/15/20	*Read PRI’s Right by the Bay* Blog: “California Wildfires Being Used by Greens to Promote Global Warming Agenda”**
Ensuring that Government Takes Responsible Action to Prevent Wildfires, Protect Communities
PRI board member Dan Kolkey, writing in **Real Clear Energy, argues that government “needs to take a less doctrinaire and more pragmatic approach toward addressing climate change.”** Among his recommendations are implementing a massive program to thin forests and clear them of deadwood. Florida’s state forest service authorizes 2.1 million acres of controlled fires in an average year, double what California expects to clear under a joint federal effort. He also recommends using cap-and-trade revenues to help fund an accelerated program to strengthen our aging energy infrastructure, whose vulnerability places homes, lives, and property at risk when high winds knock down transmission lines.
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