LegiStorm

Summary:

The Forest Service (FS, in the U.S. Department of Agriculture) and the Department of the Interior (DOI) are the two primary federal entities tasked with wildland fire management activities. Federal wildland fire management includes activities such as preparedness, suppression, fuel reduction, and site rehabilitation, among others. Approximately 10.1 million acres burned during the 2015 wildfire season, which was more than the acreage burned in 2014 (3.6 million acres) and 2013 (4.3 million acres) combined and represents the largest acreage burned since modern record-keeping began in 1960. There are several ongoing concerns regarding wildfire management. These concerns include the total federal costs of wildfire management, the strategies and resources used for wildfire management, and the impact of wildfire on both the quality of life and the economy of communities surrounding wildfire activity. Many of these issues are of perennial interest to Congress, with annual wildfire management appropriations being one indicator of how Congress prioritizes and addresses certain wildfire management concerns. Annual federal funding for wildland fire management is provided in the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. Congress appropriated $4.9 billion combined to both FS and DOI in FY2016, which included a $700 million appropriation for FS to reimburse transfers that occurred in FY2015 to pay for wildfire costs. The combined FY2015 appropriation was $3.5 billion. Federal wildfire spending has increased significantly over the last two decades, driven largely by the rising cost to suppress wildfires. In FY1995, FS spent just over $500 million in constant dollars to suppress wildfires; in FY2001, FS spent $898 million. In FY2015, FS spent $1.7 billion on suppression operations. Appropriations for wildfire management have similarly increased. In FY1995, appropriations for wildland fire management were $1.6 billion in constant dollars, $3 billion less than the FY2016 appropriation. Congress is debating several issues related to federal funding for wildfire management. Issues under debate include the level and direction of federal spending on wildland fire management as well as the effectiveness of that spending (e.g., whether the funding is allowing agencies to meet wildfire management targets and the adequacy of those targets). Congress also faces requests from the agencies for additional appropriations during severe fire activity (e.g., justification for additional funding and the impact on non-fire programs without the additional funding). Congress has provided additional funding for wildfire management above the level provided in the Interior appropriations bill—usually for wildfire suppression—for 6 of the last 10 years, including FY2013, FY2014, and FY2016. The additional funding is typically provided through a supplemental appropriation. The frequent need for additional funds raises questions about the structure of wildfire funding and how the agencies estimate wildfire suppression funding requirements, among other things. Proposals to create alternative mechanisms for funding wildfire suppression have been introduced in the 114th Congress and proposed by the Administration. The proposals generally would create a budgetary adjustment mechanism to fund a portion of the wildfire suppression appropriation outside of statutory discretionary spending limits. This report provides wildfire management appropriations data over the past 10 years, information on the President's FY2017 budget request, and information on FY2017 appropriations for wildland fire management.