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| Wilson: Government Must Accept Responsibility For Fire |
May 16, 2000 |
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WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Heather Wilson’s resolution, which calls for the federal government to accept responsibility for the damage done by the Cerro Grande Fire and compensate the victims, was overwhelmingly approved by the House earlier this morning. The non-binding resolution was approved by a vote of 404 to 0, with six members voting present.
“Now, I`m not a lawyer, and I don`t do liability. But I do believe in something called responsibility. The federal government must show the same strength of character that New Mexicans have shown, and accept responsibility for this catastrophe. While FEMA has done an admirable job providing temporary relief for the victims, the real work--rebuilding and healing--is yet to come. The government must accept responsibility and move swiftly to assist those who have suffered such a tremendous loss because of a fire set by a federal agency,” said Wilson.
Wilson’s resolution states, “That it is the sense of the Congress that the Federal Government should (A) take responsibility for the fire intentionally set by the National Park Service at the Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico, on May 4, 2000, which burned out of control near Los Alamos, New Mexico; and (B) take all necessary steps to mitigate all threats to public health and well-being of the residents of New Mexico; and take all necessary steps to compensate the people of New Mexico for the loss incurred as a result of National Park Service actions.”
The New Mexico Congressional Delegation will meet later this afternoon to be briefed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency on the status of the fire and plans to help the victims. The delegation will also discuss plans for House and Senate committee hearings both in Washington and New Mexico.
Wilson has also spoken to the Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert and he has pledged his help as well. “Representative Heather Wilson has fully briefed me on the situation in Los Alamos and the surrounding area. I pledged to her that we would work together to make federal resources available to help the people of this area recover from this disaster,” said Hastert.
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