Emergency Forum Held on Wildfires

The U.S. House of Representatives is out of session for the month of August, but the House Natural Resources Committee is holding an emergency forum at the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City to examine solutions that mitigate destruction from catastrophic wildfires.  The timing for this meeting is critical, as the U.S. Forest Service’s (USFS) fire suppression account continues to dwindle.  

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue notified Congress earlier this month that the agency will transfer $555 million to keep the USFS’s fire suppression fund afloat.  The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has yet to grant a major disaster declaration for some of California’s largest wildfires this season despite calls from California’s Congressional delegation.  A major disaster declaration from FEMA would provide much needed federal assistance to California’s ongoing effort to battle wildfires and recover from their destruction.