Environmental Rules, Not Water, Cause California Fires


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California Representative Tom McClintock has defended former President Donald Trump’s assertions about California’s water crisis while emphasizing that environmental regulations, not water scarcity, were the primary contributor to the state’s devastating wildfires.

Speaking on Thursday, McClintock acknowledged the state’s water management issues but shifted focus to what he considers the root cause of California’s fire problem. He pointed to environmental policies that have severely restricted land maintenance activities, leading to more intense blazes.

The congressman’s comments came in response to Trump’s recent threat to withhold federal disaster assistance from Los Angeles unless the state revises its water management practices. Trump had also criticized Governor Gavin Newsom’s fish conservation efforts in northern California, claiming they were responsible for dry fire hydrants in urban areas.

McClintock detailed how California’s historical approach to land management had previously kept wildfires under control. He explained that before modern intervention, the state lost approximately 4.5 million acres annually to catastrophic fires. The implementation of strategic land management practices in the 20th century, including timber auctions, grazing permits, controlled burns, firebreaks, and strategic use of herbicides, dramatically reduced these losses to roughly 250,000 acres per year.

“Because of environmental leftists” like Newsom, “in 2020, our fire losses were back up to 4.5 million acres. That’s not a new normal. That’s the old normal coming back. That’s the way nature gardens,” McClintock added.

The Republican congressman also addressed California’s ongoing population exodus, noting that many residents are relocating to neighboring states like Nevada and Arizona. He suggested that government policies, rather than natural disasters, are making California increasingly undesirable for residents and businesses.

Regarding federal disaster aid, McClintock endorsed Trump’s stance on withholding assistance unless water management practices change. He further proposed that aid should bypass state leadership entirely, including Governor Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, citing their alleged mismanagement of public lands.

“They’ve proven themselves to be completely incompetent in managing public lands and completely incapable of making good decisions,” he said. “I think the aid needs to be administered through federal agencies directly to the victims.”

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