SUPPORT THE WILDFIRE DISASTER FUNDING BILL?? Today the SEATTLE TIMES looks at how to fund wildfire prevention & fighting efforts. They asked if I would support a bill that is now languishing in committee in Congress. I was quoted briefly in the article, but IVE POSTED MY ENTIRE COMMENTARY ON THE ISSUE BELOW SO EVERYONE CAN READ HOW I CAME TO THE DECISION TO SUPPORT THIS BILL. ***Note: it does NOT increase the budget.**** 8/9/14 STATEMENT ON HR 3992 Wildfire Disaster Funding Act “Ordinary wildfires are a part of the natural cycle and can usually be kept to minimum losses through good land management, maintenance and conservation that reduce the potential for damage. “ But catastrophic wildfires like we see now in Washington -- Mills Canyon, Carlton Complex, and Chiwaukum Complex - are a whole different thing and their impact is devastating – both on families and the infrastructure of our area. “As a farmer, I know that your first job is to manage the land to conserve it. But part of the problem is that the Forest Service hasn’t been able to be very effective in its management and fire prevention because we’ve been raiding the funds from these fire prevention and land management programs to actually fight these big fires when they come along. These catastrophic wildfires are only about 1% of all wildfires, but eat up about 30% of the firefighting costs. “So typically for government, we’ve created a very dangerous cycle – we borrow money from the very programs that would reduce the odds of a massive, catastrophic fire to fight those fires when they do occur instead of doing more to prevent them. So Congress “borrows” billions of dollars from prevention programs to fight the fires, and then has to pass “emergency funding” bills to repay the programs. Rep. Raul Labrador (R-ID) has tagged this “fire borrowing.” “HR 3992 would stop this cycle by using existing funding, but specifically allocating funds for fire suppression. It would allow firefighting agencies to access funds from the natural disaster contingency fund when costs reach 70 percent of the 10-year average. That’s how we treat other major natural disasters like hurricanes and floods. In the long run, this should save money. “I’ve take a pledge not to grow the government, and I’m assured by the General Accounting Office’s opinion that HR 3992 would NOT do so. The GAO says that because the bill does not appropriate or authorize ADDITIONAL funds for wildfire suppression activities, that HR 3992 “would have no effect on the federal budget” (May 8, 2014). “****Based on my understanding of the bill outlined above, and my reliance on the expertise of the GAO, I would join my colleagues in supporting HR 3992. I’d like to have seen it get out of committee and get to the floor for a vote before the recess. It’s doesn’t add a penny to the federal budget, but ensures that current discretionary funds are spent in the most effective way to manage the land so that we can prevent these catastrophic fires or minimize their impact.” ###
Posted on: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 01:55:07 +0000
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