[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 124 (Monday, July 24, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4127-S4128]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                         Lodgepole Complex Fire

  Madam President, communities across the State are coming together to 
protect their homes and livelihoods, and families are concerned about 
their homes, property, and health. The largest fire is the Lodgepole 
Complex fire in Garfield County. This afternoon, 30-mile-per-hour winds 
ballooned the Lodgepole Complex to more than 230,000 acres. Over the 
weekend, the fire jumped the highway, and as of today it is nowhere 
near containment.
  The Lodgepole Complex fire is made up of three different fires that 
have turned Eastern Montana's farm and grazing land into an ashtray, 
leaving an unknown number of farms and ranches with an uncertain 
future, forcing families to evacuate and communities to join local fire 
departments, with anyone willing and able to join in the firefight.
  Sadly, Montana is used to this. Fire season has been as common as the 
autumn and the spring. As I stand here, nearly two dozen uncontained, 
large fires are raging in Montana. It has taken more and more resources 
to fight fires, and these resources are becoming more and more 
difficult to come by.
  Places like Garfield County are being forced to ask for donations to 
get volunteer firefighters the fuel they need to save lives and protect 
property, and this is unacceptable. Protecting our communities from 
disaster and coming to help our fellow Americans in their time of need 
is a fundamental pillar of government.
  I was pleased to see Governor Bullock declare Montana a fire 
emergency, which will go a long way to bring much needed resources into 
our State. Last night, the regional director of FEMA denied emergency 
assistance for the Lodgepole fire, so this afternoon, I called 
Administrator Brock Long of FEMA to make sure he heard from me about 
the situation on the ground and asked him to cut loose much needed 
relief into Montana.
  Firefighters from all levels of government have bravely fought fires 
across our State. Folks across Federal, State, and local agencies have 
been working around-the-clock to contain the havoc. Montana's 
communities are strong, tight-knit, and they always persevere, but they 
expect the government to have their backs. Congress can assist these 
communities by changing the way we fund fighting wildland fires. Fires 
are a devastating natural disaster and should be treated that way. We 
need to raise the disaster cap so that we can budget for the real cost 
of fighting fires, making sure the folks on the ground have the 
resources they need to keep our communities safe.
  As an example, Forest Service resources are already stretched thin. 
When a fire starts, they are forced to take money they use for managing 
the forest and use that for fighting fires. Twenty years ago, 
firefighting took up about 20 percent of the Forest Service budget. In 
2016, more than half of the

[[Page S4128]]

Forest Service budget was spent on fighting fires. This is not 
sustainable.
  When Montana's communities are burning, I don't want a bureaucrat in 
Washington, DC, weighing the pros and cons of sending help to these 
communities. We want the fire to be contained. As Montana burns, 
Congress cannot afford to wait. We need to act and allow catastrophic 
wildfires to be treated as what they are--natural disasters. It is the 
least we can do for the rancher in Jordan who lost his cattle, the 
rancher in Sand Springs who no longer has a fence around his pasture, 
or any Montanan who is forced to leave the home they have known because 
a fire may be descending upon them.
  Fire season is always a testament to the strength of Montana's 
communities. Everyone works together, they put aside their differences, 
and they play their part to achieve a common goal. Neighbors open their 
homes to displaced families; churches and community centers turn into 
places to get food and other essentials. Congress can learn a thing or 
two from these Montana communities. These communities and firefighters 
work around-the-clock. Now is the time for Congress to help out. We can 
do that by fixing how we fund firefighting.
  In the meantime, I hope you all will join Sharla and me in sending 
thoughts and prayers to all the Montanans who have been changed by 
wildfire. Our thoughts and prayers are with those heroes on the 
frontlines.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Ms. HIRONO. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.