Trump and Governor Brown make dueling claims on cause of California fires

As twin wildfires have destroyed more than 1,000 homes in Northern California, President Trump and California Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown are both making claims – and provoking criticism – about why the fires continue to spread.

California Gov. Brown said during a press conference last week that climate change is a factor. He spoke of climate change and said the “more serious predictions of warming and fires to occur later in the century, 2040 or 2050, they’re now occurring in real time. You can expect that — unfortunately — to continue intensifying in California and throughout the Southwest.”

Trump tweeted Sunday claiming the fires are “being magnified” by environmental laws that stop water from being effectively used. He also called for clearing more trees.

A spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection shot back, according to a reporter for BuzzFeed, saying the department has “no idea” what Trump is talking about. “We have plenty of water for the firefight. The Mendocino complex is next to Clear Lake and the Carr fire has the Whiskeytown Lake and Lake Shasta,” the spokesman said.

Thousands of firefighters are currently battling the flames of close to 20 active fires, which are threatening communities from Redding in Northern California to Orange County in Southern California. The Mendocino Complex fire burning just north of wine country in Northern California became the state’s largest-ever fire.

[AP]

This entry was posted in Uncategorized by Grant Montgomery.