By Greg Pilchak On June 23rd, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing to receive testimony on the recent discussion draft entitled “Wildfire Budgeting, Response and Forest Management Act of 2016.” The hearing on the bill focused on three main issues: 1) the need to end “fire borrowing”; 2) the growing [read more]
By Greg Pilchak On Wednesday, May 25th, leaders on the Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee released draft legislation whose goal is to improve wildfire budgeting and forest management. The bipartisan legislation is the culmination of recent Committee efforts to examine and find solutions to problems such as “fire borrowing,” the speed of environmental reviews, and fire suppression [read more]
By Greg Pilchak This Tuesday, May 24th, the House Appropriations Committee released the fiscal year 2017 Interior and Environment Appropriations Bill (see page 84). This draft legislation includes funding for the USDA Forest Service and various other independent and related agencies. The Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee marked up the bill on Wednesday, May 25th. [read more]
The National Association of State Foresters provided written testimony in support of fiscal year 2017 appropriations levels for priority USDA Forest Service State and Private Forestry (S&PF) programs. State and private forests make up more than two thirds of our nation’s forests and provide a host of public benefits including jobs, clean air and water, wildlife habitat, [read more]
The House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies held a hearing today on the Administration's fiscal year 2015 budget proposal for the USDA Forest Service with Chief Tom Tidwell was a witness. Rep. Moran (D-VA) questioned Chief Tidwell over proposed reductions to the Urban and Community Forestry Program (UCF). Tidwell responded [read more]
The House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing Tuesday, January 14, to examine the Administration’s determination that the automatic spending cuts under the Budget Control Act – commonly known as sequestration – applied to Secure Rural Schools (SRS) funds that had already been sent out to states. The USDA Forest Service (USFS) ultimately requested repayment [read more]
The Budget compromise reached by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI) was approved by the Senate this week. With approval of the budget deal setting overall spending levels for the federal government in fiscal years 2014 and 2015, appropriators in Congress now have the difficult task of pulling together appropriations bills to [read more]
On Thursday Senators Wyden (D-OR) and Crapo (R-ID) introduced the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act, aimed at ending the cycle of fire borrowing at the USDA Forest Service and Department of the Interior. Late in federal fiscal year 2013 the USDA Forest Service transferred more than $600 million from non-fire accounts to cover the cost of [read more]
Alongside other leaders of the Fire Suppression Funding Solutions Partner Caucus, NASF sent letters to House and Senate appropriators recognizing their leadership demonstrated through including in the short-term continuing resolution a provision reimbursing the non-fire funds transferred to pay for fire suppression at the USDA Forest Service and Department of the Interior in fiscal year [read more]
This week, Congress passed the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2013 (HR 933) that will fund federal agencies through the end of the fiscal year. The bill continues funding levels enacted as part of the FY12 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill (including the USDA Forest Service) and does not change current [read more]
