Wildfire disaster funding act introduced in U.S. house of representatives
Wildfire disaster funding act introduced in U.S. house of representatives
08 June 2017
published by https://www.nature.org
USA – U.S. Representatives Mike Simpson (R-Id.) and Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) have reintroduced the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act of 2017 (WDFA). The bill would change how the federal government budgets for the suppression of large wildfires to make that process similar to the way other disasters are funded.
The bills new approach to funding wildfire suppression meets all the criteria necessary for a comprehensive solution, including the following: 1) addressing the continued erosion of agency budgets that results from the increasing suppression costs, 2) accessing disaster funding for extraordinarily costly fires and 3) significantly reducing the need to borrow from non-suppression accounts and programs.
Currently, wildfire suppression is funded at increasing levels that chip away at important conservation programs. Those same programs are further strained through the practice of borrowing when wildfire suppression levels do not meet the suppression needs.
The current budgeting model for federal firefighting is neither stable nor sustainable, said Lynn Scarlett, Managing Director for Public Policy at The Nature Conservancy. This bill is essential for meeting our nations growing need to fund wildfires like disasters. Fighting large wildfires must not be done at the expense of the very programs that are designed to reduce wildfire risk, such as forest restoration and hazardous fuels reduction. Thats why The Nature Conservancy strongly supports this bill as a bipartisan and comprehensive solution that could help fix this countrys wildfire funding problem.
In 1995, wildfire activities made up 15 percent of the USDA Forest Services budget. Today, that level has increased to more than 50 percent, while overall agency levels remain flat. This shift has led to significant reductions in almost all non-fire programs. And yet, even those levels have rarely met suppression needs, resulting in the need to borrow. Since 2002, agencies have exceeded their budgets to fight wildfires 12 times and have had to borrow funds from other programs. Those borrowed levels are often, but not always, replenished by Congress. However, the disruptive practice of borrowing adds further challenges to land management.
This bill is similar to the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act of 2015, which earned more than 150 bipartisan cosponsors in the House but did not receive a vote before the congressional session ended. When the House introduced a similar bill in 2015, more than 200 organizations including the Conservancy signed a letter supporting the legislation, demonstrating broad support from conservation, timber, tribal, recreation, sportsmen and employer groups.
The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at unprecedented scale, and helping make cities more sustainable. Working in more than 65 countries, we use a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit www.nature.org or follow @nature_press on Twitter.
