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Across the West, hot and dry conditions are fueling massive wildfires, threatening communities and, increasingly, national parks and monuments.
In California, fires ripped through Big Basin Redwoods State Park—the state's oldest park—burning stands of 500-year old trees. Further south, a fire burning near Giant Sequoia National Monument doubled in size over the weekend. In Colorado, wildfires are burning less than four miles from the border of Rocky Mountain National Park. Lightning has also sparked a wildfire near Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park, leading to closures.
The increasing effects of climate change have turbocharged this year's wildfire season. At least 140 Western weather stations have set record highs within the last 10 days, and much of the region is experiencing severe drought. Making matters worse, the region's annual monsoon has failed, leaving communities even more vulnerable to more wildfires in the coming months.
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If [William Perry Pendley] is too radioactive to be confirmed by the Senate, why should he be allowed to continue to lead an agency in charge of one-tenth of all the lands in America?”
