LegiStorm

Summary:

The federal government ’s wildfire (or wildland fire) management responsibilities are fulfilled primarily by the Forest Service (FS, in the U.S. Department of Agriculture) and the Department of the Interior (DOI). These responsibilities include prevention, detection, response, and recovery related to fires that begin on federal lands . These responsibilities are accomplished through activities such as preparedness, suppression, fuel reduction, and site rehabilitation, among others. There are several ongoing concerns regarding federal wildfire management. These concerns in clude 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 o f perennial interest to Congress, with annual wildfire management appropriations being one indicator of how Congress prioritizes and addresses certain wildfire management concerns. Congress provides annual appropriations to both FS and DOI for these activ ities through the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill , although the bulk of the appropriations go to FS . Wildfire activities are funded in two accounts for each agency: Wildland Fire Management (WFM) and Federal Land Assistance, Management, and Enhancement Act (FLAME) reserve accounts. Over the past 10 years (FY2008 - FY2017), Congress has appropriated an average of $3.7 2 billion annually , with $4. 18 b illion combined to both FS and DOI in FY2017. The Administration requested a comb ined $3. 72 billion in FY2018, a 1 2 % decrease from FY2017 enacted levels. On September 14, 2017, the Housed passed H.R. 3354 , an omnibus measure covering all 12 appropriations bills, including the FY2018 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies bill. This bill would provide $ 3.8 5 billion combined for wildfire purposes, an 8% decrease from FY2017 enacted levels and 3% above the Administration’s requested levels. The Administration’ s FY2018 request also proposed restructuring FS and DOI’s appropriations accounts, in some identical ways (e.g., eliminating funding for both the FLAME suppression account s ) but also in some different ways (e.g., moving funding for hazardous fuels manageme nt). These budget restructuring proposals may provide some benefits for FS or DOI, such as providing agency funds designated for the same activity in one account each instead of across two accounts . Restructuring the budget may have some potential drawback s as well. For example, changing accounts may complicate analysis to inform future appropriations decisions or hinder the ability to evaluate FS ’s and DOI’s performance. Congress is debating several issues related to federal funding for wildfire managemen t. The se issues include the level 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). In some years, Congress also faces request s from the agencies for additional appropriations during severe fire activity. Congress has frequently provided additional funding for wildfire management above the level in t he annual appropriations bill, usually for suppression purposes . The recurring ne ed for suppleme n t al funds raises questions about the accuracy of the budgeting process for wildfire funding and how the agencies estimate wildfire suppression funding requirements , among other issue s. This report provides an overview of the accounts that fund wildfire management activities and historical wildfire management appropriations data, as well as information on FY201 8 appropriations.