Helicopter operators lobby against using Nat'l Guard to fight forest fires

The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1404, the Federal Land Assistance, Management, and Enhancement Act, "Flame Fund," on Thursday, March 26 by a vote of 412-3. A dangerous amendment see page two highlighted in yellow) was added to this bill to require that the wildland fire management strategy include a plan, developed in coordination with the National Guard Bureau, to maximize the use of National Guard resources to fight wildfires. The amendment was originally to be offered by Congressman Jim Matheson (D-Utah), however, at the eleventh hour, the Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, Congressman Nick J. Rahall (D-West Virginia) offered the National Guard amendment instead. Passage of the Flame Fund legislation (H.R. 1404) has been a priority for Chairman Rahall, especially since the House passed similar legislation last year and the bill never came up in the U.S. Senate. This is a critical firefighting issue that affects all helicopter operators, especially those under contract to the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service. Should the National Guard language be added to the Senate bill and the final legislation signed by President Obama direct the maximum use of National Guard resources to fight wildfires, firefighting operators will be significantly affected by this action which could limit the use of commercial firefighting resources...HAI