Congress must prioritize building safe and resilient rural communities from East to West

Op-Ed

We represent congressional districts on opposite sides of the United States -- one in northern California and the other in Puerto Rico -- but we are united on advancing sensible policies to create resilient rural communities that can withstand natural disasters, from wildfires to hurricanes. As members of the Congressional Western Caucus, a group of nearly 80 members of Congress who are focused on the needs of rural Americans, we are committed to ending the bureaucratic delays that hamper resiliency improvements across the country.

In September, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) unveiled the Republican Commitment to America, based on four pillars that should guide our priorities in the next two years. One of these pillars -- "a nation that is safe" -- is vital to both of our rural communities in preparing for and recovering from natural disasters that threaten the safety of residents and the economic strength of our districts.

Northern California has faced some of the most destructive wildfires in our nation's history in the past several years, and our national forests have never been in more urgent need of increased thinning. For decades, forest health has declined as active forest management has stalled or stopped completely, due in large part to environmental groups bringing endless litigation, and misguided regulations by government agencies that have lost touch. The result is a buildup of dry overgrowth, brush, and dead trees -- all of which serve as fire fuel.

Serial litigation from environmentalists has led to millions of burnt acres, destruction of whole towns, damaged wildlife habitat, downstream watersheds with toxic ash and mudslides, and the devastating loss of lives. Sensible thinning and timber harvest in our overgrown forests would make these towns safer, improve forest health, and bring jobs and economic development to rural areas. Congress must pass legislation that will streamline the process to get this work done.

In Puerto Rico, two devastating hurricanes in 2017 and another in 2022, and earthquakes throughout 2020, destroyed homes, schools, and businesses, and, just like catastrophic fires in the West, cost too many lives. The island's electrical grid was severely damaged by Hurricane Maria, causing the largest blackout in our nation's history and one of the longest in the world. Additionally, water systems became inoperable, cell service was destroyed, and landslides and flooding blocked most roads.

We must work to increase resiliency, improve flood control measures, and diversify the fuel portfolio in Puerto Rico with renewables, storage, and LNG conversion among other available technologies, while ensuring that unnecessary delays are eliminated.

In both our districts, when disasters hit the energy grid and communications infrastructure often fails, vital evacuation warnings cannot get to people in danger and recovery is hampered as communities are forced to use generators to power their homes and businesses. In the five years following Hurricanes Irma and María, the Puerto Rico energy system continues to see frequent disruptions, despite $11.5 billion in federal funds for improvements and upgrades to the grid. In Northern California, hazardous trees, which are difficult to remove due to federal policy, can fall on powerlines, causing electric lines to be the spark that ignites catastrophic wildfires. In both of these cases, we must eliminate bureaucratic delays and allow for this desperately needed work to be done efficiently and with haste.

Restoring America's safety means building resilient communities that are able to protect residents, so we both remain committed to prioritizing policies that will cut red tape, increase active federal forest management and hazardous fuels reduction, ensure efficient development of critical infrastructure to reduce damages from flooding, and maintain a strong energy and communication grid during times of disaster.

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