CodyCoonhound Loc: Redbone Country

Many know the northwest is covered with forest fires. What you probably don't know is what the EPA is doing in controlling resources. I have friends living where the firefighters "were" using as a staging area. The EPA made them move the staging area because they were afraid the firefighters would transmit "ragweed". Picture this-- homes and property have been evacuated, the trees on many acres are burning out of control, livestock and wildlife have been burned to death. The sky is rarely seen through the smoke and outdoor activities are minimal. Never fear--the EPA will protect future generations from the possibility of ragweed!! Another friend living close to the already evacuated area was tagged as being on the list for next evacuations if necessary--but he will be given a few hours notice to get out. I joked that we could gather the county together and do a bucket brigade from the river to the firefighters but they would probably have a mandatory check for each bucket of water because it "might" be carrying something dangerous from the water! You will understand why I said that after reading this article: May God protect us from the EPA!!!

EPA and Green Agenda
Sen Jennifer Fielder, R – Thompson Falls Aug 24, 2015
What's wrong with this picture? The federal government admits they don’t have the resources to fight the fires. But when Montana mobilized our state firefighting aircraft, the feds told Montana firefighters to stand down. It’s been happening all over the west. People are being evacuated, homes burning, thousands of wild animals and livestock destroyed. Billions of dollars in valuable timber and other property is going up in smoke. Lakes, streams, and fisheries decimated. And state owned firefighting aircraft are barred from putting out fires on federally controlled lands because of the incessant federal bureaucracy that is crippling America.
Last Friday Governor Steve Bullock wrote a letter to the Obama administration asking them to lift the “nonsensical restrictions”. The Governor declared a state of emergency and authorized Montana National Guard troops and the state’s wildland firefighting aircraft to assist in putting out the wildfires burning on federally controlled lands in Montana. "I am doing my part to mobilize every available firefighting resource at my disposal, and make them available to all fire protection agencies," Bullock wrote in the letter. "I encourage you to do your part by directing leadership within your respective agencies to rescind this unnecessary and artificial restriction on Montana aircraft as soon as possible."
Newsmax reported late Friday: Bullock spokesman Mike Wessler said U.S. fire managers barred the use of UH-1H helicopters over federal land because they have objected to modifications to the state's fleet that made them faster and able to carry more water. Bullock said in the letter that Montana pilots who have flown UH-1H helicopters on hundreds of wildland fire missions have been told to stand down as blazes broke out "in full view of our aviation staff, who watched them grow as federal firefighters waited for other 'approved' aircraft to be dispatched from distant locations.
The modifications made on the fleet did not impact its flight worthiness and it has been used numerous times to battle blazes on state and private lands, with no accidents, Wessler told Reuters on Friday. Bullock's letter comes as U.S. fire managers have said the nation's firefighting resources, including crews and aircraft, are stretched thin amid a season that has brought destructive and even deadly fires to the U.S. West.
CBS News also released similar accounts: The State of Montana has five specially-modified military surplus Bell helicopters that it uses to fight fires. [Montana DNRC Director] Tubbs says the Forest Service doesn’t acknowledge the special modifications the state has made that make Montana’s choppers safer and more effective than similar helicopters that the federal agency restricts.
"They’re very effective," Tubbs says. "The first firefighter that can get to a scene is one of our Bell 205s, most times. They carry a crew of 7 firefighters, so there’s a manager, 6 firefighters and a pilot. They deploy the firefighters on the ground, the firefighters hook the bucket up, the bucket goes up, they find a water source, and they start fighting that fire both on the ground and with water [dropped from above]. They’re one of the reasons that [the state of Montana is] so effective at stopping fires at less than 10 acres, and that saves money and cuts risk."
CBS contacted the U.S. Forest Service Region headquarters in Missoula and said, “they responded with a statement, but said they’re not taking questions on the issue at this time. Public Affairs Staffer Elizabeth Sloan declined to comment on the accuracy of Governor Bullock’s letter, but, as part of a prepared statement, said:
"The Forest Service and the State of Montana have different standards and regulations to which each must adhere."
This is the second year that Montana has been barred from deploying state helicopters to put out fires on public lands controlled by the United States Forest Service. "This makes no sense, and puts the safety and property of Montanans at risk," Bullock said.
On this the governor and I agree. Perhaps now we can convince him to join with other states in preparing for management of federally controlled public lands to be turned over to the states. I have no doubt Montanans can and will do better than WADC.
Sen Fielder represents Senate Distict 7 which includes all f Sanders County and Mineral County, and a soutwest portion of Flathead County and western-most Missoula County.

Weewillynobeerspilly Loc: North central Texas

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Gracesandagato

The epa needs to be eliminated . If the state has the equipment ytheyshoudbbe alloweth dto?fightthevfire on federalland what a buracacy. TheEpa gets dumber everyday.