SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As the Dixie, Tamarack and Fly fires rage across Northern California, local and national lawmakers are calling for more resources, more transparency and preventative policy changes.
On Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Alpine, Butte, Lassen and Plumas counties. The declaration gives the counties greater access to state resources to combat the fires.
But some lawmakers are calling for policy changes that go beyond resource allocation.
Rep. Tom McClintock, who represents California’s 4th District, called this week for more transparency from the U.S. Forest Service regarding the Tamarack fire, which as of Saturday morning has burned 65,150 acres in the Humboldt-Toyaibe National Forest.
The Tamarack fire ignited more than two weeks ago and originally spanned just a quarter of an acre. Per the U.S. Forest Service’s “let-burn” policy, crews left the fire to die out on its own, as officials viewed combating it to be a higher risk to firefighters than the risk the fire posed to surrounding areas.
Gusty winds roared the fire back to life last weekend, and the fire has burned more than 100 square miles and destroyed at least 15 structures.
McClintock, whose district includes part of the Humboldt-Toyaibe National Forest, lambasted the U.S. Forest Service for its lack of action on the fire.
“When was the decision made to monitor this fire instead of immediately acting to suppress it? Why was this decision made?” the Elk Grove Republican asked in a letter Tuesday to Vicki Christiansen of the Forest Service.
“Who made this decision and which USFS officials were consulted and informed? What legal authority authorized the USFS to allow this wildfire to burn in lieu of immediate full suppression?”
McClintock is calling on the Forest Service to immediately end its let-burn policy, and instruct crews to put out all fires upon ignition.
On Friday, the representative met with Randy Moore, the incoming forest service chief. McClintock called the conversation “very encouraging.”
McClintock says Moore promised a complete review of the let-burn policy. And, the congressman says, Moore is ordering “full suppression of incipient fires.”
North Coast Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, and Bay Area Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, introduced legislation Friday to help study the health impacts of wildfire smoke. Recent studies have indicated that wildfire smoke may be more dangerous to humans than previously suspected, and also may be linked to an increased risk for COVID-19.
The bill allocates $20 million to further study the health impacts of wildfire smoke inhalation and to find ways to mitigate its effects.
California’s U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla introduced similar legislation Thursday to provide aid to communities impacted by wildfire smoke. They proposed two bills that would together allow the president to declare a “smoke emergency” and allocate federal funds and emergency assistance to communities in need.
“Californians continue to face more frequent, devastating wildfires that spread heavy, dangerous smoke throughout the state, resulting in an air quality crisis. And that toxic smoke travels across the country,” Padilla said in a Thursday news release. “We must do everything we can to ensure our communities are safe from wildfire smoke.”