The Western Governors’ Association (WGA) urged Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack last year to improve management of deteriorating federal forest lands throughout the West. Since then, another deadly wildfire season has swept the West.
The governors say that just like previous seasons, the high cost to battle the fires forced federal land management agencies to transfer funds from other programs, such as hazardous fuel reduction and restoration projects, to pay for wildfire suppression.
As a result, the western governors are urging support for Congressional efforts to end the so-called “fire borrowing” practice to fund wildfire suppression employed by the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of the Interior.
Specifically, WGA said in its letter delivered Feb. 24: “We welcome legislation such as the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act of 2013 (S. 1875), that would solve this budgetary issue by creating a funding structure similar to that used by federal agencies, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, when responding to natural disasters.”
That legislation, sponsored by Senators Ron Wyden and Mike Crapo, is similar to a bill introduced in the House by Representatives Mike Simpson and Kurt Schrader.
WGA concluded its request by noting that “These non-fire programs are critical to managing our national forests; inadequate funding of these programs leads to more wildfire activity and raises the costs of suppression efforts.” (Read the letter.)
In addition to Sen. Wyden, WGA reached out to Secretary Vilsack, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, Office of Management and Budget Director Sylvia Mathews Burwell, and Chief of the United States Forest Service Thomas Tidwell.