[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4431]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      INTRODUCTION OF EMERGENCY WILDLAND FIRE RESPONSE ACT OF 2008

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOB GOODLATTE

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 14, 2008

  Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Emergency 
Wildland Fire Response Act of 2008. This bipartisan bill, introduced by 
Chairman Peterson and I, along with five other original sponsors, is a 
fiscally responsible solution to the USDA Forest Service and Department 
of the Interior Wildfire budget dilemma.
  The Emergency Wildland Fire Response Act of 2008 creates a new fund 
to pay for firefighting while setting strong standards for containing 
costs and holding the agencies accountable.
  There's no question that firefighting costs will continue to rise in 
the future, given the current overly-dense condition of our forests and 
the fact that more people are moving into these heavily forested areas. 
Last year, over 9 million acres across the country went up in smoke, 
costing the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior over $1.5 
billion to suppress.
  This does not mean that Congress should simply give the agencies a 
blank check to cover these rising costs. This bill sets up a funding 
structure to balance the need for more funding with the need for 
accountability.
  As firefighting costs are increasing, the Forest Service and 
Department of the Interior's budgets are not. This means that non-fire 
accounts are cut as more money is shifted to fight fires. Last year, 
wildfire expenses amounted to 48 percent of the total Forest Service 
budget. In the 1990's wildfire constituted only 13 percent.
  Since 2000, Forest Service resources for managing recreation, 
wildlife, and timber in our national forests have been cut by roughly 
23 percent. Programs that assist the Nation's 10 million family forest 
owners with forest management are facing a 58-percent cut this year 
alone because of the rising firefighting costs. These drastic funding 
reductions mean that it's nearly impossible for the agencies to fulfill 
their missions.
  In addition to addressing the rising firefighting costs, the 
Emergency Wildland Fire Response Act provides new tools for reducing 
fire risks and getting ahead of the game to reduce costs over the long 
term. First, the bill provides the Forest Service with permanent 
authority to contract with States to reduce wildfire risks across 
boundary lines. This authority, commonly called ``good neighbor'' 
authority, has been tested successfully in Colorado and Utah for the 
past several years, accomplishing much-needed hazardous fuels reduction 
work in severely fire-prone areas. This work is done in compliance with 
all environmental laws. Since wildfires don't stop at boundary lines, 
this tool is about making sure the Federal land management agencies are 
good neighbors to their State and private partners.
  The bill also encourages local communities to step up to the plate 
and reduce wildfire risks. Under this authority, the Secretary would 
give priority in Federal funding to communities that have taken 
proactive steps to make their homes and communities fire-ready.
   I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle to move this important legislation forward.

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