Representative Tom McClintock (R-CA) joined Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark) and U.S. Reps. Scott Peters (D-CA), Jim Costa (D-CA), David Valadao (R-CA), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) and John Garamendi (D-CA) along with nearly 50 others in re-introducing the Save Our Sequoias (SOS) Act on April 28.
“I am pleased to join Speaker McCarthy and my colleagues in introducing the Save Our Sequoias Act, which will restore active management by empowering land managers with critical tools to expeditiously carry out fuels reduction and reforestation projects to save our precious sequoias for future generations,” said Rep. McClintock.
The Save Our Sequoias Act (SOS) Act will provide land managers with the emergency tools and resources needed to save these remaining ancient wonders from the unprecedented peril threatening their long-term survival.
The bill would:
• Enhance coordination between federal, state, tribal and local land managers through shared stewardship agreements and the codification of the Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition, a partnership between the current Giant Sequoia managers.
• Create a Giant Sequoia Health and Resiliency Assessment to prioritize wildfire risk reduction treatments in the highest-risk groves and track the progress of scientific forest management activities.
• Declare an emergency to streamline and expedite environmental reviews and consultations while maintaining robust scientific analysis.
• Provide new authority to the National Park Foundation and National Forest Foundation to accept private donations to facilitate Giant Sequoia restoration and resiliency.
• Establish a comprehensive reforestation strategy to regenerate Giant Sequoias in areas destroyed by recent catastrophic wildfires.
The more than 50 original cosponsors included several California Representatives, among them Congressman Josh Harder and Rep. McClintock.
The legislation is endorsed by a wide coalition of stakeholders including Save The Redwoods League, the Tule River Tribe, the National Congress of American Indians, the Property and Environment Research Center, Society of American Foresters, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, and the National Association of Counties, among over 80 other organizations.
