forestry firegeezer on 10 Jul 2008 08:47 am
Congress Advances Bill To Increase Wildfire Funding
The House of Representatives passed legislation Wednesday that provides dedicated funding for catastrophic wildfire suppression.
The U. S. Forest Service has been expending much more on some major fires in the past two years than what they were budgeted for. As a result, they have had to shift funds from other programs to cover the shortfall. Last year the Federal firefighting costs came to $1.8 billion. However, only 2% of the fires account for 80% of the firefighting costs.
AFP / Getty image
This new fund would be used specifically for catastrophic fires and would be separate from the funds budgeted every year for wildfire suppression. The emergency fund would be authorized annually based on the average cost of fighting wildfires over the preceding five years.
The bill passed the House on a voice vote and now goes to the Senate for consideration. If you would like to read the bill in its entirety, click HERE.
