Jay Inslee: Washington's 1st Congressional District
Home > Issues > Environment > Firefighting Funds for National Forests
Issues
Environment
Increasing Firefighting Funds for National Forests
9 March 2005
During a House Resources Forests and Forest Health Subcommittee hearing today U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee questioned UnderSecretary of Agriculture Mark Rey about the President's budget cuts to fighting fires in national forests. Inslee expressed to Secretary Rey his opposition to the reductions of $75 million dollars in the president's budget for forest firefighting operations and urged the Secretary to renew $500 million dollars in emergency funding.
Said Inslee, "There could be many forest fires in Washington State this summer because of drought conditions and our firefighters deserve adequate resources to attack blazes and protect our communities. The administration must restore this funding to the budget in the likely event that Washington State needs to cope with a forest fire threat."
Background
Due to low snowfall in the Cascades and throughout Washington State a drought condition is increasingly likely in the state, thereby increasing conditions that could lead to wildfires this summer.
The Administration's FY2006 budget cuts funding for states and private landowners to conduct their own firefighting and fuel reduction operations. The budget also eliminates funding for rural firefighters, and does not renew the optional funding system. During today's hearing Inslee urged the Administration to use the $500 million in leftover funds from last year's optional system account to fight fires this year, and restore funding to the crucial programs. The operational funding system is used an emergency resource when other funding for forest firefighting has been depleted. Finally, the Administration's budget contains 36% less funding for hazardous fuels reduction than the amount authorized by Congress.
Last summer, Inslee worked on a bipartisan basis to help the U.S. Forest Service place additional fire fighting air tankers into service, following the glaring shortage that resulted from the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) grounding 33 fire-fighting tankers due to safety concerns.
What You Can Do to Help During a Drought:
- In the kitchen, 10 to 20 gallons of water a day can be saved by running the dishwasher only when it is full. If dishes are washed by hand, water can be saved by filling the sink or a dishpan with water rather than running the water continuously. An open conventional faucet lets about 5 gallons of water flow every 2 minutes.
- Turn off the faucet while brushing teeth or shaving.
- Take short showers rather than baths and turn the water off while soaping.
- As much as 150 gallons of water can be saved when washing a car by turning the hose off between rinses. Wash the car on the lawn to reduce runoff.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. Rep Jay Inslee