“America Is Waking Up” to Our Nation’s Wildfire Problem, Says Cantwell
At Senate hearing on wildfire preparedness in smoky D.C., Cantwell warns of dangerous WA fire season, calls for faster wildfire response, partnering with Canada
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) spoke at a Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing focused on wildfire preparedness and response. Sen. Cantwell noted the wildfire smoke hovering over the East Coast this week, the alarming summer wildfire forecast for the State of Washington, and the fact that fires are already burning in Washington state.
"I think America is waking up, at least on the East Coast, to this problem. And we certainly have known all about it on the West Coast for some time now. And I think that it is time and opportunity for us to really break down the barriers that are prohibiting us from having a faster response, and work quickly on the faster response," Sen. Cantwell said. "My whole state is in the forecast for this summer being in the epicenter of this ... there are small fires already burning in Central Washington and a small fire in Yakima County, which grew to 150 acres last night."
In their June 1 assessment, the National Interagency Fire Center forecasted “above normal” wildfire risk for the months of July through September for nearly the entire State of Washington. Their forecast maps are available HERE.
Typically this level of risk isn’t seen statewide, particularly in historically cooler and wetter Western Washington. However because there have been “well above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation” snowpack has rapidly declined. This has caused very dry conditions across Washington. Past years with forecasts like this have been followed by especially destructive fire seasons.
During the hearing, Sen. Cantwell pressed Jaelith Hall-Rivera, Deputy Chief of State, Private, and Tribal Forestry, USDA Forest Service, on the need to improve coordination between the various agencies that help fight wildfires to ensure faster fire response.
“We absolutely need to break down barriers with all of our partners, states, tribes, counties, even between the federal agencies,” said Hall-Rivera. “I think we're absolutely committed to that. And we can certainly bring some intention and focus to that in Washington state, if need be.”
Sen. Cantwell also followed up with Hall-Rivera about what the Forest Service is doing to equip wildland fire crews with technology to protect firefighter safety, noting that the Border Patrol recently provided 19,000 agents with similar equipment, despite not being required to do so. “So if the U.S. Border Patrol can do it, why can't we upgrade people right away with this gear?” Cantwell asked. Sen. Cantwell has worked to secure safety and technology requirements to protect fire crews, including in the bipartisan John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act.
Hall-Rivera responded, “Senator, we are focused on getting tracking systems out. We have done a lot of pilot testing as a result of the Dingell Act and we appreciate the focus and intention on this technology. We're going to be equipping our fire fleet with tracking devices this year.”
Sen. Cantwell also asked the expert witnesses about what more we can be doing to work with the Canadians, given that the current East Coast smoke originates in Quebec, and some of the worst smoke events in Washington state were due to raging fires in British Columbia. “I think is really time to engage with the Canadians,” said Sen. Cantwell. “We can't just be sitting here, thinking that we have solved this problem because our continent knows no U.S./Canadian barrier.” This afternoon, President Biden shared that he had spoken to Prime Minister Trudeau and had directed the National Interagency Fire Center to respond promptly to Canadian requests for additional firefighters and fire suppression assets such as air tankers.
As wildfires become more frequent and intense in the West, Sen. Cantwell is working to ensure that communities have access to the resources necessary to prevent, prepare, fight and recover from major fires. She secured billions of dollars to support wildfire response and recovery in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including $3.4 billion for wildfire risk reduction, $1.14 billion for Hazardous Fuels Reduction programs, and $500 million for Burned Area Rehabilitation Programs. In addition, she helped secure an additional $1.8 billion for the U.S. Forest Service Hazardous Fuels Reduction Program as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. At an April Senate hearing, she called on U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore to hire more firefighters ahead of the 2023 wildfire season.
Last November, Sen. Cantwell helped secure emergency funding to stabilize fire-scarred land around Highway 2 near Sultan caused by the Bolt Creek Fire. In May 2022, she introduced the Fire Ready Nation Act, which would improve the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s wildfire response and forecasting.
Video of Sen. Cantwell’s remarks is available HERE, audio HERE, and a transcript HERE.
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