I am used to writing about how our country can no longer site any sort of electricity transmission line or coal, nuclear or hydro generation plants because of our broken system that allows for endless delays and legal challenges. And pretty much any kind of significant public infrastructure project like a new highway or subway line takes literally decades from design to implementation, if they occur at all.
But I didn’t really realize how bad it had gotten until I read that a possible cause of the wildfires raging in California is that this sort of situation is so bad that you CAN’T EVEN CLEAR AWAY BRUSH. From this article titled “Feds Didn’t Clear Brush In Wildfire Area”
Steve Brink, a vice president with the California Forestry Association, an industry group, said as many as 8 million acres of national forest in California are overgrown and at risk of wildfire. He said that too few days provide the conditions necessary for larger, prescribed burns and that the Forest Service needs to speed up programs to thin forests, largely by machine.
“Special interest groups that don’t want them to do it have appeals and litigation through the courts to stall or stop any project they wish. Consequently, the Forest Service is not able to put a dent in the problem,” Brink said.
This story pretty much speaks for itself.
Cross posted at LITGM
Where is the ATLA when you really need them?