Congress nears decision on help to fight wildfires

WASHINGTON – After months of suggesting different ways the federal government could do a better job of helping fight wildfires, Congress may approve two of them before going home for the year.

The two potential changes are to thin at-risk forests so they are less likely to experience catastrophic burns and to designate wildfires as natural disasters with money set aside to fight them. Both are part of discussions between the House and Senate on a compromise to an energy bill Congress hopes to pass before it ends this month.

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., who originally proposed the forest thinning program as separate legislation that never got a debate, said she hopes it will wind up in the final compromise of the Energy Bill.

Her original bill called for scientists to assess forests and selectively burn trees that pose a threat. In many cases, fires don’t penetrate managed areas where this is done.

“When it comes to wildfire policy, my focus is on helping better prepare our at-risk communities,” Cantwell said. “And I want to ensure adequate resources are available, not just to fight fires, but to do prevention work.”

She and Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, are among those who had separate wildfire fighting bills that were not formally debated but could make it into the final compromise. They want to streamline the way the federal government fights wildfires by giving the U.S. Forest Service money directly if their money runs out, rather than requiring the agency to pull it from other programs.

“We have got to perform the management that will reduce catastrophic fires,” Crapo said. “And make sure resources for that management, and to fight fires, are available.”

The Senate energy bill has no formal wildfire fighting provisions. The House version, however, has a provision sponsored by Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., that would designate wildfires as natural disasters. That would mean the president could authorize federal funds to be used by agencies to fight fires. Rather than forcing the agencies to raid other programs to pay for things like reforestation, a separate account for wildfire suppression would be established.

In 2015 alone, wildfires burned more than 1 million acres and destroyed more than 145 homes in Washington. Fifty percent of the Forest Service budget is currently devoted to firefighting, Sen. Cantwell said in a hearing last summer about wildfires.

Under current policy, the Federal Emergency Management Agency does not consider wildfires disasters in the same category as hurricanes or earthquakes because of a fire’s volatile nature.

If the House and Senate agree to a compromise bill, Congress could pass it before Congress adjourns Dec. 16.