On Thursday, May 26th, U.S. Senators Feinstein and Padilla introduced two bills to support efforts in California “to put fires out faster and better protect communities from post-fire flooding.”
-
The Fire Suppression Improvement Act would ensure state and local fire suppression assets that are pre-deployed are eligible for FMAGs (Fire Management Assistance Grants) once granted for an incident and allow for the federal cost share of such grants to be increased beyond 75 percent. This will support fire suppression operations across the west and support efforts to ensure fires do not get out of control when they break out.
-
The Post Fire Flooding and Debris Flow Act would ensure that mitigation work, before a storm, to prevent post-fire flooding or debris flow is explicitly eligible for FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and allow for the federal cost share of such work to be increased beyond 75 percent.
Additionally, last week, Feinstein and Padilla joined Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico) to introduce the National Wildland Fire Risk Reduction Program Act, a comprehensive science authorization bill that will identify and invest in research and development; set up warning and forecast systems; develop observation and sensing technologies; and standardize data collection efforts to improve the nation’s preparedness, resilience, and response to wildfires. Provisions of this bill were adopted in an amendment that passed the Senate Commerce Committee on May 25, 2022, and now await consideration by the full Senate.