Nevada County’s Republican congressman is praising Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom’s recent wildfire state of emergency declaration. Doug LaMalfa says it recognizes that what he calls “excessive” environmental laws are greatly slowing proper forest management…

Governor Newsom is waiving environmental regulations to expedite 35 fuel reduction projects, including one in Nevada County. Lamalfa says the declaration is in line with the work he’s doing in Congress….

LaMalfa says Congress proposes increasing funds to the Forest Service, in the federal budget, for such work. He says in recent years about two-thirds of the agency’s budget has been devoted to suppression, instead of prevention. Experts say much of the millions of dead and dying trees grow on lands controlled by the Forest Service. Cal Fire reports that up to 15-million acres of forest land need some form of restoration.