Today Western Governors urge Congress to support federal funding for wildfire disasters.
July 27, 2014
Dear Members of the California, Oregon, and Washing
ton Congressional Delegations,
We are writing to you today to express our support
of the federal Wildfire Disaster Funding Act (S. 1875 and H.R. 3992), which would provide the United States Forest Service with access to emergency funding for wildfire suppression costs. As is already being seen in this 2014 fire season, our States face similar wildfire problems that are exacerbated by the current drought. Already, the citizens of our states have been affected by hundreds of thousands of acres burned, and this will likely continue throughout the summer. Appropriate funding for the Federal fire agencies in order to protect other vital forest health programs is key to the protection of
natural resources in our states.
Currently, the United States Forest Service does not have an Emergency Fund available to fund the cost of fighting wildfires. In the past two fiscal years, the United States Forest Service was forced to transfer more than $1 billion from other programs within the Agency to pay for fighting wildfires. In the same two years the Department of the Interior transferred nearly $60 million to cover the cost of fighting wildfires. In addition,
according to a Congressionally-mandated report issued on May 1, 2014, the United States Forest Service and the Department of the Interior a re projected to spend over $470
million more than is available to fight wildfires this year.
These transfers affect nearly all United States Forest Service programs, which negatively impact program delivery and disrupt funding priorit ies set by Congress. Consequences of
these funding transfers have resulted in halted work to stop the threat of invasive species, fewer forest owners receiving assistance to practice good stewardship, and interrupted
National Forest restoration activities and active management work to reduce future fire risk.
The federal Wildfire Disaster Funding Act (S. 1875 and H.R. 3992) would move any spending above 70% of the 10-year rolling average for fire suppression costs outside of the baseline budgets of the United States Forest Service and the Department of the Interior by making these additional costs eligible to be funded under a separate disaster account. This structure is similar to how the Federal Emergency Management Agency
July 27, 2014
Dear Members of the California, Oregon, and Washing
ton Congressional Delegations,
We are writing to you today to express our support
of the federal Wildfire Disaster Funding Act (S. 1875 and H.R. 3992), which would provide the United States Forest Service with access to emergency funding for wildfire suppression costs. As is already being seen in this 2014 fire season, our States face similar wildfire problems that are exacerbated by the current drought. Already, the citizens of our states have been affected by hundreds of thousands of acres burned, and this will likely continue throughout the summer. Appropriate funding for the Federal fire agencies in order to protect other vital forest health programs is key to the protection of
natural resources in our states.
Currently, the United States Forest Service does not have an Emergency Fund available to fund the cost of fighting wildfires. In the past two fiscal years, the United States Forest Service was forced to transfer more than $1 billion from other programs within the Agency to pay for fighting wildfires. In the same two years the Department of the Interior transferred nearly $60 million to cover the cost of fighting wildfires. In addition,
according to a Congressionally-mandated report issued on May 1, 2014, the United States Forest Service and the Department of the Interior a re projected to spend over $470
million more than is available to fight wildfires this year.
These transfers affect nearly all United States Forest Service programs, which negatively impact program delivery and disrupt funding priorit ies set by Congress. Consequences of
these funding transfers have resulted in halted work to stop the threat of invasive species, fewer forest owners receiving assistance to practice good stewardship, and interrupted
National Forest restoration activities and active management work to reduce future fire risk.
The federal Wildfire Disaster Funding Act (S. 1875 and H.R. 3992) would move any spending above 70% of the 10-year rolling average for fire suppression costs outside of the baseline budgets of the United States Forest Service and the Department of the Interior by making these additional costs eligible to be funded under a separate disaster account. This structure is similar to how the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Source: http://www.fire.ca.gov/communications/downloads/GovLetter-WildfireFunding7_27_14-FINAL.PDF
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