Thune's bill to hijack prescribed fires DOA

Frank Carroll has more knowledge about forest management in his middle finger than John Thune has in his entire closet.

South Dakota Public Broadcasting interviewed Carroll who spoke about the Cold Brook Fire and how additional acres burned beyond what was prescribed is 6 times better for Wind Cave National Park than fire managers had expected.

But South Dakota's vulnerable senior senator wants to control how science fights fire with fire by introducing grandstand legislation that would hamper those efforts.

Wind Cave Chief Interpreter Tom Farrell has said the park has performed thousands of prescribed burns and successfully burned millions of acres to prevent more catastrophic wildfires. He also has said weather conditions were appropriate for a prescribed burn. [Associated Press]

In the words of one Republican:

Thune is acting like a moron. So they stop burning when it is needed and a much larger fire happens…..Let me guess: you’ll look to the feds for monetary support. [comment, Daniel Buresh]

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Federal agencies always coordinate prescribed burns with local and state officials while using weather models to optimize fuel treatment effectiveness.

Hey, John: how is heaping another layer of bureaucracy on a federal agency, whose budget is pinched already by your political party's anal retentiveness, conservative or sustainable?

Thune's bill is going nowhere.