[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6862]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


    FEDERAL LAND ASSISTANCE, MANAGEMENT, AND ENHANCEMENT (FLAME) ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. NICK J. RAHALL II

                            of west virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 10, 2009

  Mr. RAHALL. Madam Speaker, today I am introducing the Federal Land 
Assistance, Management and Enhancement Act, or the FLAME Act.
  Last year, our country experienced the devastating effects of 
catastrophic, emergency wildland fires in California. For the past 
several years, we have witnessed tragic fire seasons that have put 
American lives and our treasured public lands in harm's way. Fire 
seasons are getting longer and more intense due to climate change, 
drought, and other factors.
  As a result, federal fire suppression spending has increased 
substantially over the past 10 years and projections appear to indicate 
that this trend will continue into the foreseeable future.
  The dramatic rise in these costs is eroding other non-fire programs 
and impacting the core mission of the Federal land management agencies. 
In the case of the Forest Service, for example, wildland fire 
suppression activities now account for approximately 48 percent of its 
budget. This creates a sad trend: our Forest Service is turning into 
the Fire Service.
  Furthermore, both the Forest Service and the Department of the 
Interior have had to ``Rob Peter to Pay Paul'' by borrowing funds from 
other agency accounts to cover the escalating costs of wildland fire 
suppression. In 2007, for example, the Forest Service spent $741 
million more than was budgeted for wildland fire suppression, and the 
Department of the Interior spent $249 million more than was budgeted 
for wildland fire suppression. And in the case of the Forest Service, 
the costs of catastrophic, emergency wildland fire suppression 
activities account for the vast majority of suppression expenditures, 
as two percent of fires account for 80 percent of costs.
  Madam Speaker, it is clear that something needs to be done to resolve 
this problem. That is why today I am reintroducing the FLAME Act.
  The FLAME Act establishes a federal FLAME fund for catastrophic, 
emergency wildland fire suppression activities. The Secretary of 
Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior may declare catastrophic, 
emergency wildland fire suppression activities eligible for the FLAME 
fund by issuing a Suppression Emergency Declaration. The declaration 
will evaluate the size, severity, and threat of the individual wildland 
fire incident.
  The FLAME Act continues our stewardship of all lands by making funds 
available for catastrophic, emergency wildland fire suppression 
activities on State and private land consistent with existing 
agreements. Funds will also be available for catastrophic, emergency 
wildland fire suppression on Indian lands.
  The FLAME Act also requires that the Secretary of Agriculture and the 
Secretary of the Interior submit a long-overdue report to Congress 
containing a cohesive wildland fire management strategy. This report 
will improve efforts to prevent fires on our public lands, by 
addressing critical fire prevention issues such as indentifying a 
system for assessing the level of fire risk to communities, and 
indentifying a system to ensure that the highest priority fuels 
reduction projects are being funded first.
  Last Congress, we worked to ensure House-passage of the FLAME Act. 
The bill drew support from the five former living Chiefs of the Forest 
Service, over 40 different organizations, 56 Members of Congress, and 
the Speaker of the House. However, the Senate did not act upon the 
measure. This Congress, I am pleased that Senate Energy and Natural 
Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman and Ranking Member Lisa 
Murkowski will be introducing the Senate companion measure to the FLAME 
Act. I look forward to working with our colleagues in the other body to 
ensure enactment of this important legislation in the 111th Congress.
  Madam Speaker, I am pleased that President Obama has indicated that 
he is supportive of working together on this issue. I thank him for his 
leadership on this issue by addressing it in his Fiscal Year 2010 
budget.
  I also will be working with the esteemed Chairman of the Committee on 
the Budget, Chairman John Spratt, to include language in the Budget 
Resolution to support the FLAME Act.
  Madam Speaker, catastrophic, emergency wildland fires can cause 
tragic loss of life and property. I am proud to be joined in 
introducing the FLAME Act today by my colleagues Rep. Norm Dicks, Rep. 
Raul Grijalva, Rep. Mike Simpson, Rep. Greg Walden, and Senators Jeff 
Bingaman and Lisa Murkowski In the other body. I look forward to 
working together towards enactment this Congress to ensure that our 
country has the necessary tools to combat catastrophic, emergency 
wildland fires.

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