Bill aims to better fund wildfire
suppression
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January 27, 2014 |
By Senator Mike Crapo
The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC)
reports that as of November 7, 2013 there were
1,456 wildland fires in Idaho that burned
714,057 acres last year. As more resources go
toward fire suppression, resources that could be
used to implement projects that improve forest
health, benefit forest communities and enhance
public safety are squeezed.
To improve the health of our federal lands,
decrease the threat of catastrophic fires and
ensure that firefighters have the resources
needed to protect our communities, we joined
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) in co-sponsoring
legislation that would give our firefighters and
land managers more tools for efficient and
effective fire management and strengthen fire
prevention efforts.
Last summer, we had the opportunity to join
Senator Wyden in visiting NIFC in Boise to thank
firefighters for their work in fighting
wildfires and discuss opportunities to improve
in preventing catastrophic fires by using
collaborative land management efforts and
stronger proactive management of the nation’s
public lands.
We must be as prepared as possible to address
the ongoing threat of wildfires. This includes
the smart allocation of limited resources in a
way that does not deplete the ability to
implement forward-thinking work that better
enables fire prevention and improvement of the
conditions that contribute to catastrophic fire.
In eight of the past 10 years, federal agencies’
fire suppression efforts have been
under-budgeted, which has lead to resources
being taken from important projects to cover the
federal government’s response to wildland fires.
For example, for Fiscal Year 2013, federal
agencies borrowed more than $600 million from
other accounts to cover the costs of fire
suppression. Additionally, according to
statistics from the NIFC, federal fire
suppression costs have risen from nearly $240
million in 1985 to nearly $1.9 billion in 2012.
We know that wildfires are going to continue to
be a threat, and we can better prepare for the
increasing costs of wildland fire management by
making needed changes that will support the
preparation of firefighters and land managers.
That is why we partnered with Senator Wyden in
sponsoring bipartisan legislation, S. 1875, to
provide for more efficient and effective fire
management and decrease the threat to fire
prevention. The legislation would better limit
the reallocation of resources away from fire
prevention and hazardous fuels reduction
projects, which reduce the cycle of costly
fires, and help cover the under-budgeted and
growing cost of fire suppression.
Importantly, the legislation would improve the
way wildfire suppression is funded without
increasing federal funding.
The legislation accomplishes this by enabling
emergency fire events to be treated like other
major natural disasters by supporting these
emergency wildfires through existing disaster
programs. Emergency fire events would be funded
under disaster programs, and the routine
wildland firefighting costs would be funded
through the regular budgeting process. By
allocating funding for wildfire suppression from
within existing disaster funding limits, the
legislation does not increase federal funding.
As we prepare for another fire season, it is
better to take steps now that will put us on
improved footing and ensure that those
protecting our communities have the resources
necessary to decrease the threat of fires and
respond to wildland fires.
Firefighters, land managers and forested
communities deserve assurance that steps will be
taken to continually improve the federal
response to wildfires. This legislation would
assist with that effort. |
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