House passes bill to pay for fighting wildfires

With fire season approaching, the House Thursday passed legislation to protect funding for fighting fires so government officials won't have to siphon money from other programs to handle the emergencies. The Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement or FLAME Act moved easily through the House on a vote of 412-3. Wildland fire activities now account for approximately 48 percent of the Forest Service budget, up from just 13 percent in 1991. Last year, the Forest Service and Interior Department spent a combined $2.4 billion to fight fires. Meanwhile, the annual funding for fires has not kept pace, forcing officials to raid other important accounts to deal with a crisis that must be immediately met. The legislation, which now goes to the Senate, attacks the chronic shortage of money by establishing a dedicated reserve fund for catastrophic, emergency wildland fire suppression activities, separate from money Congress approves each year for other fire activities...Oregonian