U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) and Representative Scott Peters (D-San Diego) are gearing up to introduce legislation in the next few weeks that would streamline federal regulations related to tree removal and clearing dangerous undergrowth in the approximately 73 giant sequoia groves in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The lawmakers are still working on the specific bill language and have yet to decide whether to tweak any laws, such as the National Environmental Policy Act or Endangered Species Act, for the geographic area included in the legislation. The bill also would support reforestation in devastated groves.
