Rep. Vince Fong says Congress can save threatened giant sequoia trees without trampling on environmental laws.
Earthjustice and other environmental groups aren’t so sure. They’ve called the “Save Our Sequoias Act,” which the California Republican introduced this week, a “direct path to destruction” of the iconic trees, among the oldest and biggest on Earth.
“That’s a tired argument,” the California Republican who replaced former Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, said in an interview in his Capitol Hill office, dismissing the idea that allowing more forest thinning in and near sequoia groves will harm the trees more than protect them.
“We’ve seen the consequences of mismanagement,” Fong said, pointing to the wildfires that have ravaged parts of his state including giant sequoia groves. “We need to act with a sense of urgency.”
