The Department of Agriculture is set to restart some wildfire grants, as revealed by Oregon Governor Tina Kotek to POLITICO. This development comes after frozen community wildfire defense grants were put on hold nationwide due to funding issues.
Secretary Brooke Rollins informed Gov. Kotek of the restart, mentioning, “give us a week,” during the National Governors Association meeting. Projects aimed at reducing wildfire risk were affected when grants supported by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act were frozen earlier this month. However, Rollins has already released funding for a few agriculture-related grants, with more announcements expected soon.
Support for Wildfire Mitigation
Wildfire mitigation, which focuses on making forests healthier to minimize wildfire risks, has gained bipartisan support as a crucial strategy. Following the recent Los Angeles fire, there have been calls for better forest management practices, emphasizing the importance of proactive measures.
Despite the bipartisan consensus on the significance of wildfire mitigation, the freezing of funding schemes, including the community wildfire defense grant program, has raised concerns. This program, intended to allocate $1 billion over five years to projects like forest thinning and brush management, plays a vital role in preventing wildfires.
For instance, Plumas Corp, a non-profit organization in Northeast California, heavily relies on federal funding for its mitigation efforts in Plumas National Forest. Executive Director Jim Wilcox expressed the impact of the frozen funds on their on-the-ground work, highlighting the urgent need for resources to continue their operations.
Waiting for Funding Unfreeze
Oregon, like many states, depends on federal partnerships to maintain healthy forests. Local programs stand ready to execute projects once the funds are unfrozen, as emphasized by Gov. Kotek. The timely release of grants is crucial for these programs to sustain their operations and make progress in forest management.
As the wildfire season approaches, the availability of resources becomes even more critical for organizations working towards safeguarding communities and natural habitats from the devastating effects of wildfires.
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