Press Release

DENVER -- Facing a severe drought and a potentially devastating wildfire season, 16 Western Governors today urged Congressional appropriators to fully fund a broad-based plan that includes prevention, restoration and suppression.

"We seek your continued support for funding for wildland fire management activities for the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture," the letter stated. "With rain and snowpacks well below normal, we will again have a formidable and extensive fire season. We can significantly reduce the impacts from wildland fires with the up-front investments called for in the 10-Year Strategy."

WGA fully supports substantial and continued funding in the areas of prevention and suppression, hazardous fuel reduction, rehabilitation and restoration and community assistance. The governors said funding levels should be consistent with the August 2001 agreement entitled, "A Collaborative Approach for Reducing Wildland Fire Risks to Communities and the Environment: 10-Year Comprehensive Strategy."

The 10-year strategy was developed in cooperation with and at the urging of the governors, called for by Congress and agreed to by Secretary of Interior Gale Norton and Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman last August. Today's letter was sent to the leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees and was signed by Govs. Jane Dee Hull (Ariz.), WGA Chairman; Judy Martz (Mont.), WGA Vice Chairman; Dirk Kempthorne (Idaho) and John Kitzhaber (Oreg.), co-lead governors for the issue; Tony Knowles (Alaska); Gray Davis (Calif.); Carl Gutierrez (Guam); Ben Cayetano (Hawaii); Mike Johanns (Neb.); Kenny Guinn (Nev.); Gary Johnson (N.M.); John Hoeven (N.D.); Bill Janklow (S.D.); Mike Leavitt (Utah); Gary Locke (Wash.); and Jim Geringer (Wyo.).

A key component of the strategy the governors are urging Congress to restore funding for is community assistance.

"The community assistance portion of the National Fire Plan represents a critical link to our rural communities in their efforts to fight wildland fires and rehabilitate lands degraded by past fires. WGA, therefore, strongly supports the Volunteer Fire Assistance, the Economic Action, the Community and Private Land Fire Assistance and Rural Fire Assistance Programs of the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of the Interior," the governors said. "WGA urges full funding of these programs, consistent with FY '01."

Western governors are also requesting that Congress restore the funding for rehabilitation and restoration for both departments under the National Fire Plan to the fiscal year 2001 level of $246 million. Rehabilitation and restoration efforts are intended for lands that have been significantly damaged and are unlikely to recover naturally. Years of evidence indicates that not attending to these lands creates larger land use problems, such as mudslides, sedimentation and noxious weeds. Restoration projects are long-term in nature and require continued and substantial funding from the government in order to achieve the goal of ecologically healthy lands.

In addition, the governors said the State Fire Assistance program under the U.S. Forest Service account should be funded consistent with the 2001 fiscal year. This program provides technical and financial assistance to the states to enhance firefighting capacity at the state and local levels.

A copy of the letter and the 10-year strategy are available on the WGA Web site at www.westgov.org. The Western Governors' Association is an independent, nonprofit organization representing the governors of 18 states and three U.S.-Flag islands in the Pacific. Through their Association, the Western governors identify and address key policy and governance issues in natural resources, the environment, human services, economic development, international relations and public management.

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