Letter to Mr. Mark Rey, Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment

June 4, 2004

The Honorable Mark Rey
Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment
U.S. Department of Agriculture
14th St. & Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20250

Dear Mr. Rey:

I continue to be concerned that the State of California may not have all the resources it needs for aerial firefighting this fire season after the Department of Agriculture and Department of Interior decided to terminate a contract for 33 large air tankers on May 11, 2004.

During Wednesday's Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing, you committed to working with the Federal Aviation Administration and the air tanker companies to evaluate the air worthiness of the fleet within 30 days.

As a result, I expect to hear from you no later than July 2, 2004, regarding your decision on whether the air tankers are being returned to service. If all 33 air tankers are not returned to service, I expect you to detail the Forest Service's plan for replacing these firefighting resources.

I further expect that once the decision is made, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Interior will work with the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to develop a maintenance and inspections program, as recommended by the NTSB. This will assure the safety of firefighting aircraft and prevent the current situation from occurring again.

By all accounts, this summer is expected to bring dangerous fire conditions to California. We need to work together to ensure that a formal process is developed for the Department of Agriculture and Department of Interior to fulfill your obligations to the public with regard to sufficient equipment and safety.

Sincerely,

Barbara Boxer
U.S. Senator