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A version of the Federal Land Assistance, Management, and Enhancement (FLAME) Act was included in the FY 2010 Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 2996), which was signed into law by President Obama on October 30. The original FLAME Act called for a supplemental funding source for catastrophic emergency wildland fire suppression activities on federal land. H.R. 2996 provides $61 million for the Department of Interior and $413 million for the U.S. Forest Service in FY 2010 funding to be used for wildland fire suppression.

 

“I’d like to thank Congress for passing this important legislation,” said NVFC Chairman Philip C. Stittleburg. “The cost of wildland fire suppression has been increasing steadily in recent years and it is important that the Department of Interior and the Forest Service have adequate funding to deal with the problem.”

 

Last year, 48 percent of the U.S. Forest Service budget was consumed by wildland fire suppression. The Department of Interior and U.S. Forest Service have had to transfer funds earmarked for other programs, including fire prevention activities, to pay for fire suppression. The FLAME Act is designed to alleviate the financial pressure on the federal agencies responsible for wildland fire suppression.

 

For more information on the FLAME Act, view the fact sheet that was produced by the House Appropriations Committee.