Commonwealth Policy Center

Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti blamed the Trump administration for California’s record wildfire season and said the administration is putting “its head in the sand” for not regarding climate change as the ultimate cause of California’s catastrophic fires. But is global warming really the culprit? According to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, the immediate cause is poor forest management. “A significant contributor to the fires is the amount of combustible fuel — primarily dead, dried-out trees and brush — that remains near human infrastructures such as roads and housing subdivisions.” Wheeler also said that California’s regulatory structure hinders proper forest management. As a result, wildfires in “California and Oregon now emit far more carbon dioxide than each state’s remaining coal-fired power plants.”