Today, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (R. Ark.), and Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) reintroduced the Save Our Sequoias Act. While the bill claims to protect sequoia trees through more intensive forest management, it would weaken existing environmental laws and could potentially expedite harmful logging operations in sequoia groves. After the bill’s reintroduction, Earthjustice Senior Legislative Representative Blaine Miller-McFeeley issued the following statement: 

“Protecting sequoia trees shouldn’t come at the cost of weakening landmark environmental laws. While we can all agree on protecting these iconic trees, this legislation fails to do so in a meaningful way and is unnecessary. It’s nothing more than a misguided solution in search of a problem that could set a dangerous precedent for gutting environmental laws that have a track-record of protecting our public lands and biodiversity. We urge congressional leaders to instead focus on solutions that are grounded in science and include communities in the decision-making process.”