And the fires are still burning even though I only see scattered reports in my paper.
"Forest Service runs short of funds to fight wildfires" by Darryl Fears |
Washington Post, October 14, 2012
WASHINGTON — In the worst wildfire season on record, the US
Department of Agriculture Forest Service ran out of money to pay for
firefighters, firetrucks, and aircraft that dump retardant on monstrous
flames.
That's what happens when they pour all your money into wars and Wall Street.
So officials did about the only thing they could: take money from
other forest-management programs. But many of the programs were aimed at
preventing giant fires in the first place, and raiding their budgets
meant putting off the removal of dried brush and dead wood — the things
that fuel eye-popping blazes, threatening property and lives.
It's called the robbing Peter to pay Paul syndrome.
Recently, Congress stepped in and reimbursed the Forest Service and
the Interior Department, which plays a far lesser role in fighting
fires, with $400 million from the 2013 continuing resolution, allowing
fire-prevention work to continue. Forestry specialists at state agencies
and environmental groups greeted it as good news.
But they also faulted Congress for providing at the start of the
fiscal year only about half of the $1 billion it actually cost to fight
this year’s fires.
Ever notice Israel and corporations never lack for funding from the U.S. Congress?
They argued that the traditional method that members of an
appropriations conference committee use to fund wildfire suppression —
averaging the cost of fighting wildfires over the previous 10 years — is
inadequate at a time when climate change is causing longer periods of
dryness and drought, giving fires more fuel to burn and resulting in
longer wildfire seasons.
Actually, the link I led the post with says human error, neglect, or intent.
But hey, what's one more like in an inferno of them, 'eh?
Once running from June to September, the season has expanded over the
past 10 years to include May and October. It was once rare to see 5
million cumulative acres burn, agriculture officials said.
This year’s wildfire burn was nearly 8 million acres at the end of
August, about the time that the budget allocated to fight them ran dry.
Over seven years starting in 2002, $2.2 billion was transferred from
other accounts for fire suppression when the budget came up short,
according to the Forest Service. Congress at times reimbursed a fraction
of those funds.
But banks are made whole.
‘‘We did have to transfer the money,’’ said Jim Hubbard, deputy chief
of state and private forestry for the Forest Service. ‘‘It was not a
major impact this season, but would have been if Congress didn’t restore
it.’’
A spokeswoman for the House Appropriations Committee said its
chairman, Representative. Harold Rogers, Republican of Kentucky, and
members ‘‘believe that providing adequate funding for wildfire
suppression is of the utmost importance. This is why they fought for
hundreds of millions in funding in recent . . . legislation,’’ as well
as in appropriations bills.
See: More than a dozen wildfires burning
Staff members on the committee acknowledged that using the 10-year
average cost of wildfire suppression to determine the budget is not
ideal. The spokeswoman, Jennifer Hing, said the committee will continue
to operate as it has.
Each year that money was removed from brush-disposal and
timber-salvage programs, the Forest Service’s efforts to prevent fire
fell ‘‘further and further behind,’’ said Jake Donnay, senior director
of forestry for National Association of State Foresters. ‘‘Even with the
appropriations they get, they’re not able to catch up.’’
I'm sure the American people understand that phenomenon.
--more--"
Related: Stamping Out a Forest Fire Post
If I see any more smoke in my Boston Globe I will update.
Also: Getting Set For Sandy
Yup, weather (sic) it was infrastructure, radar, or fighting forest fires, your tax money has been wasted, Americans -- by a government that professes to love and care for you so much.
