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June 12, 2012 09:29 PM UTC

Cory Gardner Blames Government for Mother Nature

  • 17 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

We understand that saying “government is bad” is a popular position for a right-wing Republican to take on any issue, but it’s a bit absurd to see Rep. Cory Gardner go so far as to blame the government for lightning and forest fires.

From The Ft. Collins Coloradoan:

U.S. Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., is calling for an investigation into how federal roadless area policy related to bark beetle-killed trees may have contributed to the spread of the High Park Fire.

Just more than a month after the U.S. Forest Service finalized the Colorado Roadless Rule for the state’s national forests, the High Park Fire likely burned through the eastern edge of the White Pine Mountain Roadless Area in the Roosevelt National Forest, according to data appearing on a map of the fire that incident command presented to evacuees Monday.

Last month’s Hewlett Fire burned within the Greyrock Roadless Area.

“We will be asking for a full-blown investigation into whether or not roadless policies contributed to the severity of this fire,” said Gardner, who ordered his staff on Monday to track down maps of Colorado’s roadless areas to determine whether the High Park Fire has burned within a roadless area.”

So is this really a viable connection to make, or is Gardner just using a weird issue to grandstand about government regulations? It would seem the latter, as this quote confirms:

“Not knowing whether or not roadless policies contributed to the severity of the fire, that’s a question that has to be answered,” he said.

Got that? Gardner has no friggin’ idea if this question makes any sense whatsoever, but dammnit, he’s going to insinuate anyway!

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17 thoughts on “Cory Gardner Blames Government for Mother Nature”

  1. Fuels mitigation and creating defensible space is best targeted in and around those lands, not in the backcountry. Its a bit troubling that at a time like this Cory seeks partisan opportunity.  

  2. probably won’t be calling for an investigation into how many severe forest fires those roadless rules have prevented by limiting the amount of motorized traffic (smokers, campers, etc.) into those areas??

    1. then the Hayman and Missionary Ridge fires of 2002, still No. 1 and 2 on the all-time list, were G.W. Bush’s fault.

      Methinks it’s too late for Cory to get a grip.

      1. Even those are Obama’s fault. World War I is Obama’s fault. That the Hawaiian chain of islands exist and are a state is Obama’s fault (he had the devil create those just so he could become president).

        Right now, everything is the fault of the black guy in the White House.

    1. Climate change is creating the possibility of hurricane force winter winds in July.  The fire took off on a unusually windy day.  We’re ready for 60-80 MPH winds in January but it is another matter in July.

  6. After all, what is he going to do?

    1. Mandate that USFS should put roads into all Larimer County roadless areas and log the commercially worthless skinny lodgepoles.

    2. Mandate that private landowners thin their properties.

    3. Mandate that homeowners buy replacement-value home insurance.

    4. Mandate cuts in CO2 emissions because global warming is responsible for the beetle kill.  

    5. Blame Jared Polis, because it’s his district now.

    6. Blame Barack Obama, just because.

  8. If there weren’t any trees, there wouldn’t be any forest fire.

    How sad this is a moment of political opportunism for him, instead of a moment of leadership.

    Good thing Jared Polis is going to be representing Larimer County after the 2012 election.

  9. I personally know any politician more firmly sold out and opportunistic than Cory. Unless he has changed since I used to routinely butt heads with him, he is keenly focused on Cory Gardner… and little else.

  10. Did Gardner leave some of his brain at that Florida junket…

    Lodge Pol Pines are the forest weed.

    Prior to the stupid Federal mantra of ” all fires out by 10 AM” the forest consisted of fewer larger trees. There was an eco-system.

    Now we have a joke that will eventually be nothing more than houses.

    Gardner has 1 thing correct. His children and grand-children will never see the forest as he did.  There will be no forest and all the roads in the world will not help.

  11. Via Bobby Magill, Ft. Collins Coloradoan

    “What really controls the occurrence of fire is drought,” study co-author Lee MacDonald, professor of land use hydrology in CSU’s watershed science program, said Tuesday.

    “What really controls the occurrence of fire is drought,” study co-author Lee MacDonald, professor of land use hydrology in CSU’s watershed science program, said Tuesday.

    “Although it is widely believed that insect outbreaks set the stage for severe forest fires, the few scientific studies that support this idea report a very small effect and other studies have found no relationship between insect outbreaks and subsequent fire activity,” the study concludes.

    “A green tree under dry conditions will burn relatively similarly as a tree with dead needles,” he said. “If you look at the history of fires in Colorado, the primary reason we’re having fires this year is because of dry conditions similar to 2002. Weather is the dominant control for fires.”

    http://www.coloradoan.com/arti…

    Apparently sensible folk don’t agree with Mr. Gardner’s grandstanding.  

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