LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Now from solar flare-ups to wildfires being addressed on Capital Hill today, Republican-led hearings will demand an accounting of the mistakes leading to last month's devastating fire in New Mexico. There should also be debate on exactly what tactics should be used to prevent that from happening again. CNN congressional correspondent Bob Franken joins us now from the Hill with more on all that. Good morning, Bob.</s>BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, of course, the fires caused quite a controversy, as you know, Leon, when the controlled fire that was set to try and prevent it was set in spite of the fact that there had been warnings against doing so because of weather conditions. Well, obviously, that's going to be the focus of the discussion today. But also, there's a long-simmering debate about some of the other means that are used to prevent them.</s>FRANKEN (voice-over): The forest fires that ruined so many homes, so many lives in New Mexico, came about, the government admits, ironically, because of an effort to contain them. Controlled burns, fires set to get rid of highly flammable underbrush in a controlled manner, raged out of control when weather conditions were not adequately considered. Members of Congress have tough questions to ask, and there's controversy over what to do. CNN has obtained a draft copy of the U.S. Forest Service report which advocates a new 15-year program. It would combine these controlled burns with a new emphasis on so-called "mechanical thinning," the cutting of some trees and removal of underbrush. Many environmentalists have resisted this thinning, arguing that it opens the way for logging interests and ultimately threatens entire species of animals.</s>FRANKEN: In the this still-unreleased report, the Forest Service said that the cost of this program could rise to $825 million a year. But it went on to say that if nothing is done, the cost would be substantially higher. Bob Franken, CNN, live, Capitol Hill.</s>HARRIS: All right, thank you, Bob.
Congress to Hold Hearings on New Mexico Wildfires Today