[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 52 (Thursday, March 26, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E785-E786]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        FEDERAL LAND ASSISTANCE, MANAGEMENT AND ENHANCEMENT ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 25, 2009

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration of the bill (H.R. 1404) to 
     authorize a supplemental funding source for catastrophic 
     emergency wildland fire suppression activities on Department 
     of the Interior and National Forest System lands, to require 
     the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of 
     Agriculture to develop a cohesive wildland fire management 
     strategy, and for other purposes:

  Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Chair, I rise today to express my strong support for 
H.R. 1404, the Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement 
(FLAME) Act and I salute Chairman Rahall for bringing this important 
bill to the floor today.
  Last year a series of wildfires devastated counties across 
California, including Santa Cruz County in my Congressional District. 
The fires burned 1.4 billion acres of land across the State and cost 
over $1 billion to contain. Experts expect a similarly difficult fire 
season in California this year. Over the past decade wildland fires 
have increased in size and quantity, and projections indicate that this 
trend will continue due to climate change, drought, and other factors.
  The skyrocketing costs of fighting wildland fires have forced the 
Forest Service and Department of Interior to ``borrow'' funds from non-
fire programs, distracting these agencies from their core missions. 
Wildland fire activities now account for 48 percent of the Forest 
Service budget and more than 10 percent of the Interior Department 
budget.
  This bill will create the FLAME Fund to help cover the costs of 
fighting fires after the money appropriated by the federal government 
runs out. Agencies may use this fund only if the Secretary of Interior 
or the Secretary of Agriculture deems the fire large enough or 
dangerous enough to warrant using the fund.
  The FLAME Act requires the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture to 
submit a report to Congress containing a comprehensive wildland fire 
management strategy. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found

[[Page E786]]

that the federal land management agencies lack such a plan and the USDA 
Inspector General found that the Forest Service lacks any system to 
ensure that the highest priority fuel reduction projects are being 
funded first. This report by the Secretaries of Interior and 
Agriculture will address the recommendations made by both GAO and the 
USDA Inspector General.
  To ensure that the money is going to where it is most needed, the 
bill requires that yearly reports be made available to the public on 
the use of the FLAME Fund. It also requires the Secretaries to conduct 
a review of wildland fire incidents that result in expenses greater 
than $10,000,000 and requires the Secretaries to notify Congress 
whenever the FLAME Fund drops to a level estimated to cover just two 
months worth of expenditures.
  The FLAME Act establishes a wildfire grant program within each 
department that will assist communities in preparing for wildfires. 
Grants will go towards purchasing firefighting equipment and training 
programs for local firefighters. The money will also be used for 
education and public awareness of wildfires and to development 
community wildfire protection plans.
  This bill is necessary so that agencies no longer have to move 
funding around to make up for the increased costs of wildfire 
suppression programs. The fund will provide a safety net in the event 
of catastrophic fires, such as those that occurred in California last 
year. It will also ensure that the Federal Government has an effective 
and comprehensive plan for wildland fire management.
  I'm proud to support this bill and I urge my colleagues to support 
this important legislation.

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