[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 37 (Monday, September 18, 2000)]
[Pages 2027-2028]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's Radio Address

September 9, 2000

    Good morning. This year our Nation is experiencing one of the worst 
wildfire seasons in memory. Extreme weather and lightning strikes have 
helped spark an estimated 250 fires every day. More than 6.6 million 
acres have burned already, and more than 35 large fires continue in 9 
States. We've all witnessed the tragedy of family homes destroyed and 
admired the bravery of firefighters and citizens joining efforts to 
battle the blazes. I saw it firsthand in Idaho last month, and I'll 
never forget it.
    Today I want to talk with you about important new steps we're taking 
to help communities recover and to ease the threat of fires in the years 
ahead. For months now, we've been mobilizing Federal resources to 
provide firefighters and communities the tools they

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need to combat the fires. More than 25,000 Federal, State, and local 
personnel have been engaged in the effort. We provided $590 million in 
emergency firefighting funds, and recently I declared Montana and Idaho 
disaster areas, making them eligible for more Federal relief. But we 
must do more.
    That's why I directed Interior Secretary Babbitt and Agriculture 
Secretary Glickman to prepare a report outlining a strategy to help 
communities recover from these fires and to ensure that others are 
spared from similar tragedies in the future. Today I'm accepting the 
recommendations contained in this report and announcing the first steps 
we're taking to implement them.
    First, saving lives and property is and will remain priority one. 
Our Nation is blessed with the best firefighting force in the world. 
They're doing an extraordinary job in some of the most dangerous and 
difficult conditions imaginable. Some are finally returning home for 
well-deserved rest. But the fire season isn't over, and as long as the 
fires burn, our firefighters will continue to receive our strong support 
to get the job done as quickly and safely as possible.
    Second, we're launching new actions to help hard-hit communities 
recover as the smoke clears. Once the fires are out, the threat doesn't 
stop. Rain, for example, could trigger mudslides, and dirty runoff 
threatens water quality. To help prevent further damage, we've 
dispatched more than 50 rapid response teams to work with local 
communities to develop plans to repair damaged lands and protect 
precious water supplies.
    In addition, we've just released nearly $40 million for 90 
restoration projects throughout the West. We'll also soon establish one-
stop centers in Idaho and Montana, so that citizens can gain quick 
access to assistance, from unemployment aid to small business loans. We 
want to make sure the help gets to those who need it right away.
    Finally, we must continue to take a long-range look to diminish the 
threats from fires in the years ahead. For almost 100 years our Nation 
pursued a policy focusing on extinguishing all wildfires. It was well-
intentioned, but as a result, many of our forests now have an unnatural 
buildup of brush and shrubs. This excessive undergrowth fuels forest 
fires, making them far more dangerous and difficult to control.
    Our administration has taken a new approach to protect communities 
and reduce wildfire risks by getting rid of the forest underbrush that 
has accumulated over the last century. We're reducing the risk of fire 
on more than 2.4 million acres a year, a fivefold increase since 1994. 
We want to work with communities to expand these efforts in an 
environmentally sensitive way, particularly in those areas at greatest 
risk of wildfire.
    Today's report provides a blueprint for action, immediate steps to 
deliver assistance to hard-hit communities, new measures to build on our 
efforts to ease the threat of wildfires nationwide. The report 
recommends an additional $1.5 billion to carry out this strategy, and 
I'm committed to working with the Congress to secure this critical 
funding.
    Throughout this wildfire season, we've seen our fellow citizens come 
together to save lives and aid communities in need. That's the best of 
the American spirit. It's reflected in these new steps to help put out 
the fires today, help communities heal tomorrow, and help to reduce 
wildfire threats for years to come.
    Thanks for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 6 p.m. on September 8 at the Waldorf-
Astoria in New York City for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on September 8. The 
transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
September 8 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast.