President Trump on Sunday blamed California’s environmental laws for exacerbating 17 wildfires raging across the state, saying lawmakers had “magnified” the situation and hindered responses.
“California wildfires are being magnified & made so much worse by the bad environmental laws which aren’t allowing massive amount of readily available water to be properly utilized. It is being diverted into the Pacific Ocean,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “Must also tree clear to stop fire spreading!”
[Opinion: Fire and fury: How government failures make wildfires even worse]
California wildfires are being magnified & made so much worse by the bad environmental laws which aren’t allowing massive amount of readily available water to be properly utilized. It is being diverted into the Pacific Ocean. Must also tree clear to stop fire spreading!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 5, 2018
The largest fires have destroyed more than 470,000 acres across California, affecting 40,000 residents, according to the Los Angeles Times. More than 14,000 firefighters are working to control the blazes.
The Carr Fire, which started scorching parts of northern California near Redding two weeks ago, is the deadliest blaze. It has claimed seven lives as of Sunday with the death of Jairus Ayeta, a 21-year-old Pacific Gas and Electric apprentice lineman, per the Sacramento Bee.
Trump’s complaints seem to echo comments made by Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., who told the Guardian on Wednesday that the Carr Fire torching his community was linked to federal and state forest management policies rather than a warming climate. In particular, he cast aspersions on limited logging that has resulted in “fuel loads that have been left in the forest for 30 to 40 years”.
Democratic California Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday said the fires were “the new normal that we have to face” and could have negative repercussions for the state’s financial health, CNBC reported.
“So far, this fire activity is a small part of our very large budget but it is a growing part and will continue to grow as we adapt to the changing weather,” Brown said at a news conference.
Trump approved a “major disaster” declaration in California on Sunday, ordering federal funding be made available to help recovery efforts in areas affected by wildfires.
