With the ongoing drought and projected hot summer temperatures, I wanted to let you know about my efforts to ensure that we have the resources we need to fight wildland fires in the coming fire season.  I have joined in introducing bipartisan legislation to establish a new federal fund to cover the growing costs associated with fighting catastrophic, emergency wildland fires.

The Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement (FLAME) Act (S.561) would create a federal fund designated solely for catastrophic, emergency wildland fires.  The Secretary of Agriculture and Secretary of the Interior would determine the use of these funds based on the size, severity, and threat of the individual fire incident. 

In past years, as fires have grown in number, size and intensity, federal agencies have too often been forced to shift or borrow funds from other accounts in order to fight fires.  This can leave other important agency functions without adequate funding.  It is time that we face up to the fact that federal fire suppression has become an expensive and annual expense and therefore budget for needed funding. 

The FLAME Act also would require the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to submit a long-overdue report to Congress on a cohesive wildland fire management strategy to improve fire prevention efforts on public lands.  Both the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the USDA Inspector General (IG) have found that these agencies lack sufficient systems and strategies to plan for and prevent wildland fires.

Our legislation will help ensure that our firefighters have the tools they need to fight destructive wildland fires while protecting life and property.  You can count on me to work with my colleagues in the Senate and House to pass this legislation and better protect our communities.

Sincerely,

Barbara Boxer
United States Senator