Forest Service Has To Divert Another $250 Million To Fight Wildfires

"Top administration officials wrote Congress on Tuesday to urge it – once again – to change the way it budgets for firefighting in light of the disastrous wildfire season in the western United States.

The Agriculture Department just informed lawmakers this week that it will have to transfer $250 million to fighting the forest fires now raging, which brings this fiscal year’s emergency spending total to $700 million. Unlike other disaster spending, caused by tornadoes and hurricanes, the federal government must stay within existing budget constraints and divert money from other programs to pay for firefighting.

In a letter to 16 Senate and House members, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, and White House Office of Management and Budget Director Shaun Donovan wrote that the current funding method is no longer sustainable. The administration has proposed allowing agencies to bust their discretionary budget caps when fire suppression exceeds 70 percent of the 10-year average, but Congress has yet to approve the budgeting change."

Juliet Eilperin reports for the Washington Post September 15, 2015.

SEE ALSO:

"Obama Officials Press Congress To Shift Wildfire Funding" (The Hill)

"Obama Administration Directs $250 Million Toward Fighting Wildfires" (Los Angeles Times)