Source: United States Senator for California – Dianne Feinstein
Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today urged the Biden administration to quickly select non-federal members of the newly created Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission.
This commission was established through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, but the process for selecting or nominating members has not yet been announced.
“As you know, wildfires are already devastating the Western United States, especially California, and we must bring every resource we have to bear to confront these fires as they grow increasingly frequent and destructive,” Senator Feinstein wrote in a letter to Agriculture Secretary Vilsack, Interior Secretary Haaland and Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas. “The Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission will play an important role by developing recommendations for the prevention, mitigation, suppression, and management of wildland fires and post-fire rehabilitation. As such, the Commission should begin its vital work as soon as possible.”
Full text of the letter is available here and below:
February 24, 2022
The Honorable Tom Vilsack
Secretary
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20250
The Honorable Deb Haaland
Secretary
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20240
The Honorable Alejandro Mayorkas
Secretary
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
2707 Martin Luther King Jr Ave S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20528
Dear Secretaries Vilsack, Haaland, and Mayorkas,
I urge you to swiftly establish a process for selecting the non-federal members of the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission, which was established in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Although the establishment of the Commission was announced on December 17, 2021, it is my understanding that no members have yet been selected nor has a process for the selection or nomination of members been announced publicly.
As you know, wildfires are already devastating the Western United States, especially California, and we must bring every resource we have to bear to confront these fires as they grow increasingly frequent and destructive. The Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission will play an important role by developing recommendations for the prevention, mitigation, suppression, and management of wildland fires and post-fire rehabilitation. As such, the Commission should begin its vital work as soon as possible.
Additionally, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act instructed that the non-federal representatives be preferentially selected from areas at high risk of wildfire. California certainly qualifies as a high-risk state; in the past five years, 10 million acres have burned, at least 183 people have died, and more than 32,000 homes have been destroyed. I have already heard from several Californian candidates representing the public and private sector who would provide tremendous value to the Commission and are eager to do so.
A thorough review and update of federal policies addressing wildfire is critically needed, and I look forward to supporting the efforts of the Commission and your agencies to defend the West from future catastrophic wildfire. Thank you for your prompt consideration of this request. I remain available to meet with you at any time to discuss wildfire and any measure we might take to combat it.
Sincerely,
Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator
###