Rep. Walden Applauds Wildfire Funding Request, Call for Forest Management Reform From Administration
Rep.
"I want to thank the
Walden led a letter signed by a bipartisan group of 31 lawmakers (will link to letter) to OMB Director
"Mismanagement has left our forests vulnerable to insects and disease and ripe for catastrophic wildfires. The system is broken. We need forest management reforms, and we need them now," the lawmakers wrote. "We ask that you work with us to help to fix the way we manage our forests and how we pay for wildfire disasters. Two goals we can all agree on are reducing the costs of these fires and breaking out of this destructive, nationwide wildfire cycle."
Walden has spoken with the administration in recent weeks to call their attention to the severity of this year's fire season in
"The Administration believes that the problem of wildfire 'borrowing' must be addressed in a more structured, long-term manner. However, additional funding alone will not reverse the worsening trend of catastrophic wildfires that threaten our forests, critical habitats, and communities that border public lands," the request states. "Active forest management and other reforms must be part of the solution to curb the cost and destruction of wildfires."
The administration's announcement comes as Walden led a hearing today to examine the air quality impacts of catastrophic wildfires. During the hearing, Walden stressed the need to fix the wildfire funding problem cited in the administration's request often referred to as "fire borrowing".
"Every year we repeat this stupid, stupid cycle. Robbing the accounts that would do the forest thinning to pay for the firefighting while the fires are going on, so we don't do the preventive work because we have to pay for the fire," said Walden. "It makes no sense. It is four to five times more expensive to fight fires than to do the treatment."
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