FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Conservation Partners Applaud Bipartisan Introduction of the FLAME Act

American Forests and Sustainable Northwest support the introduction of bipartisan legislation that would establish a new way to pay for federal wildland fire suppression, the Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement (FLAME) Act.

American Forests and Sustainable Northwest support the introduction of bipartisan legislation that would establish a new way to pay for federal wildland fire suppression, the Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement (FLAME) Act.  

Costs associated with fire suppression have escalated dramatically in recent years, and are almost certain to continue growing as a result of hazardous fuels build-up, climate change, and increasingly populated wildland-urban interface areas.

These escalating costs have had a significant impact on the US Forest Service (USFS) and Department of the Interior (DOI), which are charged with wildland fire protection. As fire suppression costs have risen and overall agency budgets have not, these agencies have consistently lowered the budgeted amounts for other core programs to pay for fire suppression.

Even with a budgetary diversion of funds, the agencies are also regularly compelled to request supplemental funding from Congress each fire season and to ‘borrow’ already limited dollars from other already impacted programs.  Such transfers of funds further lead to program disruptions, project cancellations, and strained relationships with partners.

“The FLAME Act helps to address our growing concerns that the Forest Service is quickly becoming the fire service,” said Deborah Gangloff, executive director of American Forests.

The FLAME Act establishes a partitioned account that would begin to move the federal land management agencies towards a funding mechanism better suited to deal with the steadily rising costs of fighting the largest and most destructive fires.  This fund would be used for suppression of the wildfires that have a devastating impacts on forests and communities.  

“This bill would help to allow federal public lands agencies to reestablish adequate and reliable funding for vital land management programs, particularly those focused on restoring landscapes and revitalizing rural economies,” said Martin Goebel, President of Sustainable Northwest.

The solution to the emergency wildland fire suppression crisis is going to require adequate and reliable funding for fire management and suppression activities, as well as strong multi-stakeholder partnerships, innovative approaches to landscape restoration and forest management, and increased awareness about preparing homes and communities for wildfires.  The FLAME Act is a solid step in moving towards the greater solution.  

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