Letter to the Hon. Jeff Merkley, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, and the Hon. Lisa Murkowski, Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies - Rosen Leads Colleagues in Calls to Help Combat Wildfires, Provide Data on Climate Change, and Expand Land Conservation Efforts

Letter

Dear Chairman Merkley and Ranking Member Murkowski:
As you develop the Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and
Related Agencies Appropriations bill, we respectfully request that you continue to provide strong
support for wildfire suppression and forest management funding.
Wildfires affect a growing number of states in the West each year, and fire-fighting expenses
incurred by federal land management agencies often exceed $1 billion annually. Fires pose a
threat to human health, personal property, wildlife, and our public lands. In 2020, nearly 60,000
wildfires burned more than 10.3 million acres and destroyed more than 17,000 structures. The
federal responsibility for wildfire suppression and management is critical to protecting lives,
property, and natural resources on public lands. With jurisdiction over the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM), National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS), and the
Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), the Department of Interior (DOI) is responsible for managing
over 500 million acres of land, including wildfire monitoring and suppression. Additionally, the
Forest Service (USFS), located within the Department of Agriculture (USDA), oversees wildfire
response to 193 million acres of the National Forest System.
We appreciate your continued prioritization of wildfire management funds in the recent
appropriations packages. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 (P.L.115-141) provided
a budget cap adjustment for wildlife suppression costs that included forest management reforms.
In FY2020, USDA and DOI received over $6 billion for wildfire suppression and management,
including $2.25 billion through the wildfire adjustment that Congressional negotiators agreed to
during the FY2018 appropriations process. Over 90% of the West is currently experiencing
drought, with the majority of areas subject to significantly below-average precipitation and
extended dry periods. Unfortunately, this means that this wildfire season will likely once again
be catastrophic.
Therefore, we request that you continue to pursue robust funding for strategies and resources
pertaining to wildfire management in FY2022.
Thank you for your consideration.