Joel Hefley: “I introduced H.R. 581 to assist the U.S. Forest Service in expediting the transfer of funds from the Service to other…”

“I introduced H.R. 581 to assist the U.S. Forest Service in expediting the transfer of funds from the Service to other Federal agencies for critical and necessary interagency consultation activities in connection with wildland fire management. H.R. 581 is simply a technical fix to clarify that funds appropriated in the 2001 Interior and Related Agencies Appropriation Act for wildland fire management may be transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service to reimburse those agencies for the fuel load reduction consultation activities required by section 7 of the Endangered Species Act. The fiscal 2001 Interior Appropriations Act appropriated $2.9 billion towards the National Fire Plan in response to the devastating 1999 and 2000 fire seasons. The $2.9 billion which was appropriated, which included $1.6 billion designated as emergency contingent funding, is administered by the Department of Interior and the Forest Service. Included in the plan are funds specifically directed for reducing fuel load. However, before fuel loads can be reduced, the Forest Service must meet existing laws, including the Endangered Species Act.”