AJR 18, as amended, Patterson. Federal Wildfire Disaster Funding Act.
This measure would urge the Congress of the United States to support H.R. 167, the federal Wildfire Disaster Funding Act, in order to provide a long-term, stable source of funding for federal agencies to conduct the necessary fuels management on national forest lands, while retaining resources to suppress catastrophic wildfires.
Fiscal committee: no.
P1 1WHEREAS, According to the United States Forest Service,
2approximately 58 million acres of national forest lands, or one-third
3of the entire National Forest System, are in need of restoration due
4to the high risk for catastrophic wildfire; and
5WHEREAS, California is home to 21 national forests; and
P2 1WHEREAS, Over the last three decades, fire season lengths
2have increased by 60 to 80 days, and annual acreages burned have
3more than doubled to over seven million acres; and
4WHEREAS, The United States Forest Service plans to thin less
5than 3 percent of its high-risk acreage in the next federal fiscal
6year; and
7WHEREAS, One percent of the wildfires fought on national
8forest lands each year consume up to 30 percent of the annual fire
9budget, and the wildland fire management appropriation has tripled
10its portion of the United States Forest Service budget from 17
11percent to 51 percent from 1995 to 2014, inclusive; and
12WHEREAS, Over seven of the last 12 years, the United States
13Forest Service and the United States Department of the Interior
14have had to divert over $2 billion in funds from other forestry and
15land management programs to fund firefighting efforts; and
16WHEREAS, This “fire borrowing” has had adverse effects on
17other United States Forest Service projects, with funds being
18transferred from other programs that provide necessary hazardous
19fuel reduction and vegetation management on national forest lands;
20and
21WHEREAS, This “fire borrowing,” in 2012, consisted of $440
22million being transferred to the fire suppression account and
23projects at all levels, including multiple fuel reduction projects on
24national forest lands in California, being cancelled or deferred;
25and
26WHEREAS, It has been shown that post-wildfire rehabilitation
27costs can exceed the costs of wildfire suppression by two to 30
28times; and
29WHEREAS, Frequent, severe wildfires result in great
30environmental damage, and the prevention of wildfires is necessary
31to decrease the great risk posed to California due to begin insertdrought,
32climate change, and end insertthe large amount of overgrown national forest
33lands in the state; and
34WHEREAS, The Governors of California, Washington, and
35Oregon requested the 113th Congress to support common sense
36wildfire funding, as embodied in the federal Wildfire Disaster
37Funding Acts of 2014, H.R. 3992 and S. 1875, but these pieces of
38legislation were not signed into law; and
39WHEREAS, Catastrophic wildfires are an ongoing yet
40preventable threat to California and its residents, and the inability
P3 1of federal agencies to manage national forest lands appropriately
2due to funding constraints is a pressing issue that must be addressed
3as quickly as possible; now, therefore, be it
4Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of
5California, jointly, That the Legislature of the State of California
6respectfully urges the 114th Congress of the United States to
7support H.R. 167, the federal Wildfire Disaster Funding Act, in
8order to provide a long-term, stable source of funding for federal
9agencies to conduct the necessary fuels management on national
10forest lands, while retaining resources to suppress truly catastrophic
11wildfires; and be it further
12Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
13of this resolution to the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
14to the Majority Leader of the Senate, and to each Senator and
15Representative from California in the Congress of the United
16States.
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