On Sunday, Gov. Kate Brown told CBS' “Face the Nation” that Oregon’s record-shattering wildfires were the result of an “incredible” wind storm, “decades of mismanagement of our forests in this country” and climate change.
“We have a landscape that has seen 30 years of drought,” Brown said. “This is truly the bellwether for climate change on the West Coast and this is a wake up call for all of us -- that we’ve got to do everything in our power to tackle climate change.”
The blazes have scorched more than 1 million acres across Oregon, spanning from the southern border to the coast and Clackamas County. That figure is about twice the yearly average over each of the past 10 years.
She also responds to an opinion piece by former state Rep. Julie Parrish, from West Linn, in The Washington Post. Parrish said, “Our state is ablaze for reasons much deeper than weather. For years, we’ve suffered from misguided priorities and dramatic failures of leadership. Now, the bill is coming due.”