OPINION:
The Trump administration is making news at an unprecedented rate as the president fights back against a bloated federal government and its supporters in the mainstream media. It is important that we pause and understand the implications of some of the biggest issues facing our country before we move on to the next story. One key issue that the media has begun to gloss over is the United States’ tragic failure to manage natural disasters. Unburdened by woke ideology, we can do a better job of mitigating tragedies and rebuilding more efficiently.
Consider California, where liberal mismanagement has turned natural disasters into preventable catastrophes. Instead of allowing proven fire prevention methods like prescribed burns and responsible forest thinning, state lawmakers –aligned with radical environmental activists – have enforced strict regulations that have turned forests into tinderboxes. The result? Year after year, wildfires consume entire communities, driving insurance rates sky-high and leaving residents with no relief. In 2024 alone, over one million acres burned, and the projected damages from the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires are expected to surpass even Hurricane Katrina’s financial toll.
Meanwhile, North Carolina has faced its own failures in disaster preparedness. FEMA mismanagement and excessive federal regulations have left flood-prone communities like Lumberton and New Bern vulnerable long after Hurricanes Matthew and Florence. Washington’s bureaucratic red tape prevents these communities from implementing the mitigation measures that could save lives and protect property.
America’s management of natural disasters has left countless people dead, homeless, and financially ruined. While wildfires rage nationwide, misguided environmental policies have only made them worse. Instead of prioritizing preventative land management, bureaucrats and activists have pushed radical restrictions that turn forests into tinderboxes. Meanwhile, FEMA remains bloated and ineffective, leaving communities to fend for themselves. If their goal is to protect environmental health, their policies have only worsened outcomes.
For decades, the Sierra Club and like-minded activists have transformed America’s forests into fuel reserves. Rather than reducing wildfire risks, they have fought against the very tools that could stop them – prescribed burns, logging, and responsible thinning. Their influence has turned what should be manageable natural events into national catastrophes, leading voices like Elon Musk to call for defunding the Sierra Club.
California is the ultimate cautionary tale. The state experiences record-breaking wildfires, destroying entire towns and causing billions in damage. Yet, driven by radical environmental priorities, California refuses to implement large-scale prescribed burns, enforces overreaching air quality regulations, and neglects forest management. By October 2024, one million acres had burned statewide, including the 429,603-acre Park Fire. The 2025 Los Angeles wildfires have already eclipsed previous disasters, with projected damages between $250 billion and $275 billion. Beholden to activists, California ignored warnings. Even as insurers like State Farm canceled 1,600 policies in high-risk areas, the state refused to change course.
The federal government’s mismanagement has made things worse. Federal agencies spent $3.17 billion in 2023 and $4.39 billion in 2021 battling wildfires, yet bureaucratic hurdles still impede large-scale preventative burns. While California expanded prescribed burning in 2024 to 350,000 acres, federal agencies paused planned scheduled burns last October. A short-sighted decision that proved catastrophic months later.
Hawaii, traditionally a state not historically known for wildfires, faced one of the worst fire disasters in recent history when Maui was engulfed in flames. Environmental policies led to the overgrowth of invasive grasses, creating a landscape primed for disaster. Instead of prioritizing fire mitigation, the state focused on renewable energy, ignoring wildfire risks. When the fires came, they moved rapidly, killing over 100 people and wiping out entire communities. The scale of this tragedy could have been avoided, yet reckless policies ensured its inevitability.
These misguided environmental policies are not just causing destruction; they are draining taxpayer dollars. Instead of investing in responsible prevention, states like California continue to waste billions reacting to crises they created. Insurance rates have skyrocketed, local economies have been destabilized, and thousands have been forced from their homes. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act allocated funds for wildfire resilience, but environmental lawsuits often block effective land management. Federal agencies like the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management remain tied up in regulations, preventing them from conducting the very burns that we know would save lives and property.
While wildfires devastate communities nationwide, Florida proves responsible land management works. In 2024 alone, Florida conducted a record-breaking number of prescribed burns. The state issues 88,000 burn authorizations annually, including 10,000 for sugarcane burning to systematically reduce hazardous fuel loads. This strategy has managed wildfire risks, avoiding the devastation seen in western states.
Unlike California, Florida enforces strict land stewardship regulations prioritizing environmental health and public safety. The Florida Forest Service, in partnership with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, ensures prescribed burns are executed safely and effectively.
President Trump plans to fix America’s disaster response systems and prevent future natural disasters from becoming mass-casualty events. Trump calls for reforming FEMA, restoring common-sense agricultural policies, and implementing proven strategies like Florida’s prescribed burning program nationwide. These policies would replace radical restrictions with practical, science-backed solutions.
America must reject the radical green policies that have turned states into fire-prone disaster zones. It is time to hold groups like the Sierra Club accountable for the destruction their policies have caused. We need a return to science-based land management that prioritizes public safety and economic stability. Florida has shown the way. The rest of the country must follow before another preventable disaster claims more of our communities.
• Jeff Stier is a Senior Fellow at the Consumer Choice Center.
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