Additional $910M secured for firefighting costs

Posted by egable on September 26th, 2008 filed in Forests, Fire

Reps. John Salazar and Mark Udall, both Colorado Democrats, have helped secure $910 million for firefighting costs nationwide after one of the worst wildfire seasons on record has exhausted funds used to fight and prevent fires.

Nearly 5 million acres have burned nationwide, costing more than $1.8 billion for federal wildfire suppression activities, about $700 million above the average suppression cost. The average size of wildfires is growing, as influenced by climate change and decades of fire suppression.

Salazar and Udall have fought for fire mitigation funds for areas of Colorado and the West that have been dramatically impacted by the bark beetle. These emergency funds include $175 million for hazardous fuels reduction projects nationwide, with a particular focus in the Mountain West to combat tree die-off from the bark beetle. The hazardous fuels funding includes $125 million for state and private activities and $50 million for projects on national forests.