mr. herger: mr. speaker, today i'm introducing legislation to address the dire situation facing my district in the state of california with respect to accumulation of force fields and the threat of catastrophic wildfires. the california catastrophic wildfire prevention act of 2009 seeks to implement hazardous fuels reduction and other forest-thinning projects. on federal land that have been collaboratively developed and identified within a community's wildfire protection plan or county fire plan. since 2003, california's witnessed three of its worst fire seasons ever. this legislation would help address the only aspect of wildfire we can control, accumulation of forest fuels. without action, our communities remain main at risk to catastrophic wildfire. i urge my -- wildfires. i urge my colleagues to support this commonsense solution. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin rise? >> address the house for

mr. herger: madam chair, i thank the gentleman, my good friend from texas, for yielding time. i rise in strong support of this amendment. the district i represent in northern california contains nine national forests currently being overrun by illegal marijuana cultivation. this week two men opened fire on law enforcement officials during a raid on a marijuana garden near a popular fishing and recreation area. additionally in another instance two county sheriffs officers were shot when they came across another marijuana garden. thankfully these officers survived their injuries, but it is simply a matter of time before innocent lives -- lives are claimed. i urge my colleagues to support this amendment to ensure the federal government is doing its part to provide the resources we need to address this serious and growing problem. thank you. the chair: the gentleman is recognized. the gentleman from washington is recognized. mr. dicks: although i support the gentleman's amendment, i ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition. the chair: without objection, the gentleman