Bipartisan bill would rescue giant sequoias from wildfire

Confronting an existential threat to the world’s largest trees, U.S. Rep. Scott Peters joined House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on a rescue plan for California’s giant sequoia groves.

Peters, D-Calif., McCarthy, R-Calif., and Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., introduced the Save our Sequoias Act to provide $350 million in federal funding over 10 years to protect the iconic trees, streamline environmental review for restoring groves, and create a reforestation plan.

“You don’t have to convince people of the value of these trees,” Peters said. “People love them, and once you see them, they’re pretty majestic. ... This seems like a really important thing to do for California and something that should be bipartisan.”