OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 10:24 AM PT — Fri. Nov. 30, 2018
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is opening up about his visit to Paradise, California earlier this week, where he surveyed damage from the ‘Camp Fire.’
One America News caught up with Zinke on Thursday. He said it’s not acceptable for the state to suffer devastating wildfires each year due to officials mismanaging resources.
Zinke estimated that the total cost for repairs in Northern California could reach into the billions, with the federal government expected to shoulder some of the cost.
FILE – In this Nov. 13, 2018, file photo, search and rescue workers search for human remains at a trailer park burned out from the Camp fire in Paradise, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
In response, Zinke has proposed several solutions for curbing the rapid spread of wildfires.
“It’s time to actively manage our fires, and whether you’re a believer of global warming or not, it doesn’t relieve you the responsibility of managing our fires,” he stated. “After visiting, once again, a California fire — in this case Paradise — it’s unacceptable to, year after year, have these catastrophic fires, so its time for an active management policy.”
This comes on the heels of Zinke approving a $449 million grant to California for a conservation project dedicated to expanding the state’s access to clean water.