Is Washington Burning?

Press Release

Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) is stomping out a U.S. Forest Service plan that gives $2.8 million of wildland fire management funds to Washington, D.C.

"There are many wasteful and wild schemes born in Washington--but this takes the cake. There is not a single national forest in the nation's capitol. Yet D.C. was awarded $2.8 million in wildland fire management funding. The last major fire in D.C. was likely lit by British troops in 1814," Barrasso said.

According to the National Interagency Fire Center, more than 5.5 million acres of U.S. wildland have burned this year. None of it in Washington DC.

"$2.8 million in wildfire management funds going to an urban center with no national forests? It is an outrage, especially considering that Wyoming and the West deal with families losing homes to fires and bark beetles devastating our forests."

Wyoming was initially awarded zero dollars in the first round of U.S. Forest Service projects under the stimulus. When the Congressional Delegation and the Governor appealed to the Department of Agriculture, funds were eventually awarded for forest projects in Wyoming.

"The pine beetle epidemic is severe and it's growing every day. These beetles continue to claim acre after acre at an alarming rate. This is devastating our forests. It presents a clear and present wildfire threat to public land users, communities and homeowners."

More than one million acres in Wyoming are infested with mountain pine beetle. Wyoming has more than nine million acres of national forest land. Much of that is at extreme risk.

"The people and forest communities in Wyoming deserve better. I refuse to stand by and watch our Western states burn when resources are on hand to stop it."

The Barrasso amendment to strip Washington, D.C of $2.8 million of forest fire management funds passed the Senate by voice vote.

Source