Interior Department Announces Wildfire Resilience Investments from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
This week, the Department of the Interior announced investments from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to tackle the threat of wildland fire in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Utah. The funding comes from a $103 million investment allocated earlier this year for fire suppression and rehabilitation of burned areas. Deputy Secretary Tommy Beaudreau traveled to the West to highlight these announcements and visited project sites in Saguaro National Park in Arizona and Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area in Nevada.
The Law includes $1.5 billion for the Department over the next five years to invest in preparedness, fuels management, post-fire restoration, and fire science. It also directs major reforms for federal wildland firefighters, including temporary pay increases and a new occupational series classification more specific to firefighters.
Select press coverage is below:
U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Interior Tommy Beaudreau just announced $10 million to help suppress fire danger all across land in Arizona, $200,000 of which is going to be used for buffelgrass mitigation like in places here in Saguaro National Park. The money is coming from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that was passed last year. Saguaro National Park Superintendent Leah McGinnis gave Deputy Secretary Beaudreau a tour of the facility, emphasizing how bufflegrass can not only lead to wildfires, but also invade scenic species of plants, like the Saguaro cactus.
Nevada is set to receive nearly $6 million in funding to prevent wildfires, a growing concern, as climate change and prolonged drought make the state even drier. On Wednesday, Deputy Secretary of the Interior Tommy Beaudreau announced Nevada would receive $5.9 million in funding this year from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support fuels management projects on nearly 15,000 acres of land across the state.
A federal department invested more than $5.1 million in Colorado to help the state fight and prevent devastating wildfires. In Colorado, record-breaking wildfires have become more and more common in recent years. At the end of December, Colorado suffered its most destructive wildfire in state history, when the Marshall fire destroyed more than 1,000 homes in Boulder County. Shortly before, the three largest wildfires in Colorado history all occurred in 2020. The U.S. Department of the Interior announced its investment to fight Colorado’s wildfires on Thursday — part of a $103 million effort to reduce wildfire risk, mitigate impacts, and rehabilitate burned areas nationwide. “As climate change drives harsher heat waves, more volatile weather and record drought conditions, we are seeing wildfire seasons turn to wildfire years, threatening communities, businesses, wildlife and the environment,” said Deputy Secretary Tommy Beaudreau. “We are investing in Colorado communities, advancing wildfire resilience work across the country, improving resources for the heroic firefighting workforce, and reducing the risk of wildfire.
The Department of the Interior announced Monday that it has invested over $6.8 million in fiscal year 2022 funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to advance wildfire resilience work and support fuels management projects in Oregon on 49,039 acres of land across the state.
This week the Department of the Interior announced that it has invested over $7.5 million in fiscal year 2022 funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to advance wildfire resilience work and support fuels management projects in California on 9,969 acres of land across the state. This is part of $103 million allocated by the Department earlier this year to reduce wildfire risk, mitigate impacts and rehabilitate burned areas. The additional funding will help complete fuels treatments on nearly 2 million acres nationwide this fiscal year, a substantial increase over the prior year. “As climate change drives harsher heat waves, more volatile weather, and record drought conditions, we are seeing wildfire seasons turn to wildfire years, threatening communities, businesses, wildlife and the environment,” said Deputy Secretary Tommy Beaudreau.
What the bill does to reduce wildfire risk: The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act directs investments in wildland fire management in Utah that will increase fuels treatment in areas with high wildfire hazard potential, helping to protect homes and businesses in the wildland-urban interface as well as public drinking water. These efforts, according to Romney, will promote climate resiliency across landscapes and communities and will employ tribal members, youth and veterans.
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