Western Caucus (Feb. 2009) PDF Print

Knowing of your interest in agriculture, I wanted to inform you that I continue to be a member of the Congressional Western Caucus and am hopeful that the Caucus will play an increasingly positive role in important debates over land management issues this year.  Members of this caucus are dedicated to addressing the issues important to the growth and prosperity of the West.  Its mission is to "enhance, sustain, and preserve the West's dynamic and unique culture, and to find innovative solutions that address the distinctive concerns facing western and rural communities.  We believe economic growth and conservation are not mutually exclusive goals and can be accomplished by promoting balanced, common-sense reforms." Along with my fellow members, I will work to highlight and urge action on topics such as energy development, wildfire, water, property rights and public lands management, just to name a few.

Further, as co-chair of the Western Caucus's committee on Healthy Forests and Wildfire, I will help lead our efforts to address the management of our federal forestlands and reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire.  As the health and safety of Northern California communities continue to remain at risk of wildfire, it is my hope that the Western Caucus can assist in bringing a unified effort to this issue and help put commonsense forest management back on our landscape.