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Contact: USDA Press
Phone: (202) 720-4623
Email: press@xxxxxxxxxxx
Secretary Perdue to Celebrate Ag Day at the University of Tennessee
Secretary also surveys Gatlinburg area wildfire damage and hosts forestry roundtable
(Washington, D.C., September 29, 2017) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue will travel to Knoxville, Tennessee TOMORROW and join University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) faculty, staff, alumni, and students to celebrate Ag Day. On Sunday, Secretary Perdue will survey damage caused by the wildfires in the Gatlinburg area and host a forestry roundtable at the Cherokee National Forest with Forest Service employees and local forest partners. Here is Secretary Perdue’s public schedule for TOMORROW, September 30th and Sunday, October 1st:
*NOTE: Media interested in attending any of the below events must RSVP to press@xxxxxxxxxxx by TODAY, September 29th at 6:00 p.m. ET.
TOMORROW, September 30th
What: Secretary Perdue will participate in the UTIA’s Ag Day Recognition Program and tour the Department of Food Science, the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Large Animal Unit, the University Gardens, and the Central Greenhouse. Following the Ag Day Recognition Program, Secretary Perdue will be available for media.
Where: Brehm Animal Science Arena, 2506 River Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996
When: TOMORROW, September 30th at 12:00 p.m. ET
Sunday, October 1st:
What: Secretary Perdue will host a forestry roundtable at the Cherokee National Forest with Forest Service employees and local forest partners. Following the roundtable, Secretary Perdue will be available for media.
Where: Tellico Ranger District, Cherokee National Forest, 250 Ranger Station Road, Tellico Plains, TN 37385
When: Sunday, October 1st at 8:40 a.m. ET
Sunday, October 1st:
What: Secretary Perdue will survey damage caused by the wildfires in the Gatlinburg area.
Where: Cherokee National Forest, Quarry Creek Fire area off State Highway 165 (Map available HERE)
When: Sunday, October 1st at 11:00 a.m. ET
Background: Fires in the area of Gatlinburg, including the Chimney Tops 2 and Cobbly Knob, began last November. These fires included civilian fatalities, structure loss, and the evacuation of thousands of residents. Recently, wildland fire suppression costs for the fiscal year exceeded $2.3 billion, making it the most expensive year on record. This summer, wildfires have ravaged states in the west, Pacific Northwest, and Northern Rockies regions of the United States. Currently, the fire suppression portion of the Forest Service budget is funded at a rolling ten-year average of appropriations, while the overall Forest Service budget has remained relatively flat. Because the fire seasons are longer and conditions are worse, the ten-year rolling fire suppression budget average keeps rising, consuming a greater percentage of the total Forest Service budget each year. This increase forces agency to take funds from prevention programs to cover fire suppression costs. Secretary Perdue believes Congress should treat major fires the same as other disasters and should be covered by emergency funds so prevention programs are not raided. His proposal would ensure both fire suppression and prevention efforts receive the proper funding they need. Just last week, Secretary Perdue urged State Foresters to call on Congress to fix this fire funding problem. You may click HERE and HERE to listen to excerpts of his remarks. On Tuesday, Secretary Perdue hosted U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID), Steve Daines (R-MT), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Jim Risch (R-ID), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) at the U.S. Forest Service for a 2017 fire briefing to hear about this year’s efforts to contain wildfires out west as well as the way the USFS is funded.
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