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Today, Congress passed, and the President signed, an omnibus budget bill that funds the federal government through Sept. 2018. The bill contains several provisions related to wildfires that NAR has supported.
The bill provides for a $2.19 billion off-budget disaster fund for wildfires, which would grow to $2.95 billion by 2027. The disaster fund wouldn't be established until 2020, but lawmakers agreed to devote an additional $500 million a year to wildfire management in 2018 and 2019, until the new arrangement takes effect. Overall, the Forest Service would receive $6 billion this fiscal year, including $2.8 billion for wildfire management.
The bill also provides more flexibility to allow forest thinning in areas the Forest Service considers a wildfire risk. It gives the Forest Service more flexibility to move ahead with such projects while sorting out issues around the Endangered Species Act - It also provides for categorical exclusions from the National Environmental Policy Act, covering up to 3,000 acres, in national forests, for removal of hazardous fuels.