Press Releases

Washington, D.C. (May 1, 2013) – Thursday, May 2, 2013, Congressional Western Caucus Co-Chairmen Steve Pearce (R-NM) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), along with the Colorado Members of the Congressional Western Caucus will hold a hearing entitled “Seeking State Solutions: Forest Health, Wildfires, and Habitat Protection” in Denver, CO.

Members and witnesses will examine Colorado’s state-led forest management practices and how Colorado’s experience can inform other Western states and the federal government.  Western Caucus members will hear from local and state officials on Colorado’s forest management tools, wildfire recovery efforts, and how the federal government can compliment western states to achieve our shared objectives of a healthy landscape.

The hearing will shed light on real world examples of the ripple effects of wildfire devastation, the extent of the challenges with the current forest management structure, and help facilitate a discussion on what needs to be done to keep our forests healthy for generations to come.

Witnesses to Testify:

Gale Norton, Former Secretary of the Interior; President of Norton Regulatory Strategies

Mike King, Executive Director, Colorado Department of Natural Resources

Sallie Clark, Commissioner, El Paso County, Colorado

Steve Johnson, Commissioner, Larimer County, Colorado

Dan Gibbs,Commissioner, Summit County, Colorado

Gary Moyer, President, Colorado Association of Conservation Districts

Michael McHugh,Environmental Permitting Coordinator, City of Aurora Water Department

Denny Behrens,Field Director, Colorado Mule Deer Association

Learn more about our witnesses here.