As we first wrote on October 13, the Budget Control Act of 2001, called the “fiscal cliff”, will require federal wildland fire programs to be cut by at least $218 million, or 8.2 percent. Negotiations are underway to prevent the law from taking effect on January 2, 2013 as planned, but if lawmakers fail to come up with an alternative, there will be some very significant changes in the federal land management agencies.
The Center For American Progress has an article about some of the effects. Here are some excerpts:
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…Sequestration will have a big—and negative—impact on land and ocean management agencies. Here’s how it’ll affect all Americans:
- Less accurate weather forecasts
- Slower energy development
- Fewer wildland firefighters
- Closures of national parks
- Fewer places to hunt
- Less fish on your table
- Diminished maritime safety and security
[…]
But the U.S. Forest Service faces tremendous cuts to its firefighting capabilities under sequestration. Its “Wildland Fire Management” account, which funds preparedness, fire suppression, hazardous-fuels removal, restoration, and state fire assistance, among other things, is slated to be cut by $172 million in fiscal year 2013 if the sequester moves forward. Additionally, the Department of the Interior’s “Wildland Fire Management” account faces a $46 million cut next year. The department also funds the “FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund,” which will be cut by $7 million under sequestration. In total, funding for wildland fire prevention and assistance at the land management agencies will be cut by $225 million.
Without such funding, not only will Americans’ property and lives be more at risk, but special places such as national forests and national parks will be less resilient in the face of future fires.
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Thanks go out to Dick
Stay tuned for an upcoming feature in OUTSIDE MAGAZINE about big fires and big budgets.
outsideonline.com/magazine
What people have to remember here is:
IF the sequestration goes and we “fall off the cliff” so to speak, that MANY Fed agencies and not just LMA’s are going to feel the brunt.
I dare to to say, that the DoD and FAA (where your traveling safety is monitored), that these folks, as well as DoD contractors will feel it equally as well. The aviation world depends upon the NWS and civilian Flight Service (Lockheed Martin) as well as the Spot Fire Forecast and Red Flag Warnings.
There are many a LMA duplication in many arenas that are beckoning consolidation and with the upcoming events, this would or should surely scream consolidation of many duplicative services,
Weather, DoD, and FAA are ones that can not be duplicated, but sure are going to see some major cuts that are going to make the cuts in the LMA budgets look like, well, pennies.
WE, out here in the fields, (The Who) get it! There is going to be alot of hurt allllll over. How the 535, POTUS, and the wonderful upper echelon SES series of the LMA’s deal with it, will be the interesting part….for us folks in the less than 50K a yr earning power arena, we already KNOW what cuts look like……..it will be up to the rest of the Gov agencies and the 535 who have spent us into oblivion, how to correct and adjust like the rest of us who can not spend more than we take in!!