Wildfire Funding

Wildfire Funding

Maura Bennett
Maura Bennett

As firefighters were battling wildfires across Colorado and the West, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue is going to battle for a better funding source to help them.

He says the department continues to borrow funds to fight fires from accounts that were supposed to be used to manage the fuel load on forest floors.

"Our budget has moved from 15% of fire suppression to over half 55% and it may be more this year in having to fight fires and there's no way we can do the kind of forest management in the prescribed burning and harvesting and insect control and all those things that diminish fires. Fire will always be with us but, when we leave a fuel load out there because of a lack of funding we're asking for trouble, we're asking for disasters. That we need a permanent fire funding and stop this borrowing once and for all."

Fighting fires may cost the Forest Service two billion dollars this year.

Purdue says the Forest Service Chief Tony Tooke and he are confident that congress will come up with a better plan soon in spite of the increased need for federal aid after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

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