Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee and Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark yesterday sent a letter to congressional leaders urging Congress to end “fire borrowing" and provide the USDA Forest Service with the resources it needs to effectively improve forest health and respond to increasingly devastating wildfire seasons.
In the past two years, Washington state has experienced two historic wildfire seasons. The governor and commissioner in 2014 urged Congress to updated policies that restrict federal funding for use in responding to wildfire.
In addition, the governor and commissioner last year formed a Wildland Fire Council that has been meeting and will be preparing both policy and budget recommendations for consideration in the next legislative session.