In a recent episode of Pod Force One, Doug Burgum, the Interior Secretary under the Trump administration, delivered a scathing critique of California Governor.
Gavin Newsom and the left-wing climate agenda. Burgum dissected decades of flawed environmental policies that have transformed California's forests into tinderboxes, arguing that wildfires have negated any alleged "progress" Democrats claim to have achieved in climate control.
The California wildfires, which have razed thousands of homes and forced mass evacuations, have been aggravated by strong winds, increased population density, and Governor Gavin Newsom's mismanagement of forests and controlled burns. According to Gateway Pundit, allegations of failing to fill reservoirs for hydrants are substantiated and stem from two sources: infrastructure and demand issues, as well as mismanagement of water resources.
While there is no evidence that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives hindered the response, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley has prioritized DEI, implying a focus on increasing diversity in hiring rather than selecting the best candidates. Mismanagement of forests has significantly contributed to the devastating effects of the fires, worsened by the limited implementation of controlled burns.
Controlled burns, also known as prescribed fires, are a crucial forest management practice that involves intentionally setting specific forest areas on fire under controlled conditions to reduce excess vegetation, which serves as fuel for wildfires.
Despite their importance, California has struggled to use this preventive measure effectively. In 2024, the U.S. Forest Service temporarily halted prescribed burns, citing the need to allocate resources for active wildfire suppression.
Earlier this year, comedian Adam Carolla went viral in a video where he discussed the daunting rebuild process for the victims of the California fires due to progressive policies in the state. Carolla said:
"So heres whats going to happen. All these people who are deep blue Democrats are now going to have to pull a permit to rebuild, and theyre going to get the 28 year old bitch from the Coastal Commission telling them to go fuck off and then theyre going to vote for Trump or whoevers Trumpian next. When they start getting the regulation, theyre going to go nuts. And when they start running into the bureaucracy and the red tape, theyre going to start going nuts and theyre going to vote for Rick Caruso next time."
Governor Gavin Newsom attempted to preempt this by stating that the red tape would be cut and building permits would flow freely to allow these people to rebuild their lives and homes. However, Newsom appeared on CNN and explained that people 'cant rebuild the same.' Newsom suggests that there is a new reality due to the 'science' and climate change, and that all of that has to be taken into account as people rebuild. In essence, Adam Carolla was correct. Newsom and other authorities in California may be issuing building permits, but its evident that there will still be red tape and new rules for rebuilding.
During a recent appearance on Pod Force One, Burgum highlighted the shocking hypocrisy of California Democrats who sermonize about climate change while their own policies fuel the infernos that ravage the state year after year.
Doug Burgum stated: The fuel load buildup thats occurred in American forests can actually go back to the Clinton era. There was a famous effort at the beginning of the environmental extremist movement that said, Oh, the spotted owl! We cant cut any more trees because of the spotted owl. This was part of the weaponization of the Endangered Species Act.
By shutting down our forests, we destroyed our position in the timber milling industry. We killed rural communities that were dependent on timber. But the private sector was willing to step inbecause when we did a timber lease, they wrote a check to the government. With oil and gas leases, they pay us for the opportunity, and then they pay a royalty on top of it. These are ongoing, sustainable revenues.
In forestry, they would clear roads, do the thinning, and take care of all the work needed to manage the forest. So when a fire did happen, it wouldnt burn at the super-mega heat levels we see today.
Its not environmental. A forest thats clean can survive a fire because the healthy trees survive, and that can be positive. Controlled burns have a positive role. But these out-of-control, super-hot mega-fires do kill forests.
Now we are burning more timber every year in America than we harvestand were importing timber. Accidentally, right? So uncontrolled fires consume more of our asset base. We then spend money trying to stop those fires, as opposed to being paid money by the private sector.
Wethe citizens, the public ownersshould be receiving revenue, not expending expenses fighting fires. The amount of timber weve stopped harvesting equals about the same amount we now import. So were also paying for imported timber.
And if people do care about CO? releaseswhen a forest burns, these are massive CO? releases. Thats how you release CO? from a treeyou burn it. When you have a campfire, youre releasing that carbon. The fires in California have released more CO? than all of their so-called efforts to control CO?.
Burgum's critique of California's environmental policies and their impact on the state's wildfires offers a stark reminder of the consequences of mismanagement and the importance of effective forest management. His comments underscore the need for a balanced approach to environmental policies, one that respects nature's resilience and the role of human intervention in maintaining it.
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