House Approves Critical Firefighting Funding

June 17, 2004

Congressman David Dreier (R-San Dimas), Chairman of the House Rules Committee, voted last night to approve legislation containing funding critical to the effort in Southern California to combat and prevent destructive wildfires. The Department of Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year (FY) ‘05, H.R. 4568, was approved with strong bipartisan support, 334-86.

“Wildfires are unfortunately a constant threat in southern California,” Dreier said. “The funding approved today will go a long way toward preventing these fires, as well as combating them. We need a strategy to manage our forests so they don’t become infernos waiting to happen. Through smarter forest management, we can prevent tremendous amounts of personal and economic loss. We saw last year how damaging something like a bark beetle can be if left unchecked as they ravage our forests. This bill provides the funding necessary to better deal with those pesky beetles, and other contributing factors to damaging wildfires.”

Included in H.R. 4568 is $128 million for Forest Service forest health initiatives, including control of the Southern pine beetle, which is a mountain beetle found in the southern California mountains. It also provides $2.6 billion for the Wildland firefighting and National Fire Plan, $1.8 billion of which goes to the Forest Service, and $743 million of which goes to the Department of the Interior. Included within that funding is an $89 million increase for wildfire suppression and a $58 million increase for hazardous fuels reduction efforts, above 2004 enacted levels. It also includes an additional allocation of $500 million in emergency funds for urgent wildfire suppression needs in the coming year, as stipulated in the FY ‘05 budget resolution.