Thanks To Budget Cuts, The Forest Service Is Out Of Money To Fight Wildfires

[ScienceRocks]

Thanks To Budget Cuts, The Forest Service Is Out Of Money To Fight Wildfires

By Katie Valentine on August 23, 2013 at 3:51 pm

The U.S. Forest Service has nearly depleted its budget for fighting wildfires at the peak of wildfire season, a development which has forced the agency to divert $600 million in funds from timber and other areas to continue fighting fires.

As of Wednesday, the agency was down to $50 million after spending $967 million this year on fighting wildfires. So far in 2013, 33,000 wildfires have burned in the Western U.S., spanning 5,300 square miles and destroying 960 homes and 30 commercial buildings

.
Thanks To Budget Cuts, The Forest Service Is Out Of Money To Fight Wildfires | ThinkProgress

 

[OnePercenter]

Thanks To Budget Cuts, The Forest Service Is Out Of Money To Fight Wildfires

By Katie Valentine on August 23, 2013 at 3:51 pm

The U.S. Forest Service has nearly depleted its budget for fighting wildfires at the peak of wildfire season, a development which has forced the agency to divert $600 million in funds from timber and other areas to continue fighting fires.

As of Wednesday, the agency was down to $50 million after spending $967 million this year on fighting wildfires. So far in 2013, 33,000 wildfires have burned in the Western U.S., spanning 5,300 square miles and destroying 960 homes and 30 commercial buildings

.
Thanks To Budget Cuts, The Forest Service Is Out Of Money To Fight Wildfires | ThinkProgress

Walmart can start providing healthcare for their employees. There's a billion saved!

 

[TheOldSchool]

I wonder what would happen if people stopped living where wildfires happen... all the time... every year... year after year...

That doesn't occur to anyone else?

 

[ScienceRocks]

Thanks To Budget Cuts, The Forest Service Is Out Of Money To Fight Wildfires

By Katie Valentine on August 23, 2013 at 3:51 pm

The U.S. Forest Service has nearly depleted its budget for fighting wildfires at the peak of wildfire season, a development which has forced the agency to divert $600 million in funds from timber and other areas to continue fighting fires.

As of Wednesday, the agency was down to $50 million after spending $967 million this year on fighting wildfires. So far in 2013, 33,000 wildfires have burned in the Western U.S., spanning 5,300 square miles and destroying 960 homes and 30 commercial buildings

.
Thanks To Budget Cuts, The Forest Service Is Out Of Money To Fight Wildfires | ThinkProgress

Walmart can start providing healthcare for their employees. There's a billion saved!

I did not know that walmart didn't give its employees healthcare.

 

[ScienceRocks]

I wonder what would happen if people stopped living where wildfires happen... all the time... every year... year after year...

That doesn't occur to anyone else?

That would make sense

 

[Old Rocks]

Not just people living in forested areas. There is also the problem that these are the areas that provide our water. Plus the effects of the silting of the streams and lost timber.

The Southwest is drying out as predicted, and the rest of the West is having more frequent periods of low rainfall. Also there is the effect of early snow melt, so the high timber is has less moisture in it at this time of year than has been the case in the past.

 

[percysunshine]

If the Department of Interior would allow drilling for oil in more areas, they would have more than enough money to fight fires. Enviro-Correctness has a price tag.

 

[Old Rocks]

Sorry about that, old chap, but you don't get much oil out of granite and volcanic rock.

 

[Old Rocks]

Thanks To Budget Cuts, The Forest Service Is Out Of Money To Fight Wildfires

By Katie Valentine on August 23, 2013 at 3:51 pm

.
Thanks To Budget Cuts, The Forest Service Is Out Of Money To Fight Wildfires | ThinkProgress

Walmart can start providing healthcare for their employees. There's a billion saved!

I did not know that walmart didn't give its employees healthcare.

California To Wal-Mart: Enough! No More Taxpayer Subsidized Profits For You - Forbes

For years, Wal-Mart—and other large retail operators—have been piling up huge profits by controlling their labor costs through paying employees sub-poverty level wages. As a result, it has long been left to the taxpayer to provide healthcare and other subsidized benefits to the many Wal-Mart employees who are dependent on Medicaid, food stamp programs and subsidized housing in order to keep their families from going under.

 

[PredFan]

Well we COULD stop giving money to:

The Muslim Brotherhood
Syria
Wealthy Corporations
Welfare brood mares
Obama's vacations
Farm subsidies
Alternative energy corporations
Wall Street
and on and on and on.....

 

[percysunshine]

Sorry about that, old chap, but you don't get much oil out of granite and volcanic rock.

Interior controls access to a lot more than granite. It's ok, we don't expect someone with the word 'rocks' in their screen name to know much about North American geology.

 

[alan1]

Yep, the sequester is to blame for everything. After all, $85 billion cut from a $3 trillion budget is 2.8%. Devastating. If the average family cut 2.8% from their grocery bill, I'm sure they would starve to death. <sarcasm intended>