Bruce Westerman became the ranking Republican on the House Natural Resources Committee in the 117th Congress. He’s proposed legislation to speed up the regulatory process that he argues makes it difficult for the Forest Service to thin smaller trees, clean up forest floors, and use controlled burns to minimize the damage from wildfires. He has the expertise to back that up: Westerman is the only licensed forester in Congress and also a professional engineer. He is also among a small number of GOP lawmakers who have acknowledged that climate change is real.

Learn what Bruce Westerman says about finding common ground