WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall pressed U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell on the agency's ability to meet the escalating costs of wildfire suppression and the urgent need to fix how the government pays to fight increasingly frequent big, expensive wildfires. As ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, Udall questioned Tidwell during a hearing on the Forest Service's fiscal year 2017 budget.
With wildfire season off to an early start in New Mexico, Udall reinforced his call to treat the most extreme wildfires as natural disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes so the Forest Service is not forced to drain accounts for crucial forest health and wildfire prevention efforts in order to pay to put out the worst fires.
Udall has long championed efforts to protect New Mexico communities from wildfire, encourage tourism and improve forest health.
"Just yesterday, the National Weather Service issued a notice of Extreme Risk for fire weather conditions in Northeast New Mexico, due to strong sustained winds, low humidity, warm temperatures, and an abundance of dry fuel on the ground. In the last five years, we saw three of the largest fires ever recorded in the state," Udall said.
Last year's appropriations bill included $1.62 billion for fire suppression this season, a significant increase that is expected to meet projected need. However, Udall said, allowing the Forest Service to access disaster funds would free up these discretionary resources for critical mitigation projects, such as the forest restoration work that helped reduce the damage from the recent Moon Mountain fire in Ruidoso, New Mexico.
"We have a catch-22. We spend billions of dollars on fighting fires. But we don't invest enough resources in managing and restoring forests - and preventing severe forest fires," Udall said. Other important Forest Service programs include forest mitigation, restoration work on public lands and trail improvement.
"Wildland fire is literally taking all of the oxygen out of the room when it comes to the Forest Service's budget, mission and energy," Udall continued. "The budget proposes an overall $29 million reduction in non-fire accounts. This speaks louder than words about the immediate need to address the fire budget."
With efforts to authorize disaster funding for the most devastating wildfires ongoing, Udall asked Tidwell to ensure that the Forest Service will do everything in its power to protect our communities and natural resources should another extreme fire occur. Tidwell assured Udall that the Forest Service will continue to suppress fires and protect communities, even if needs outpace current funding.
Udall also asked for an update on the Forest Service's air tanker fleet, which it uses to fight the most extreme wildfires and those in remote areas. Tidwell told Udall that the fleet is being upgraded and all seven tankers scheduled to be transferred from the U.S. Coast Guard should be operational by fiscal year 2019.
