Advanced search Help
Searching for terms: EXACT: "Hoover, Katie" in: author
Clear all search criteria
Only 2/3! You are seeing results from the Public Collection, not the complete Full Collection. Sign in to search everything (see eligibility).
-
Federal Land Management Agencies and Programs: CRS Experts [August 17, 2012]
This document from the Congressional Research Service (CRS) provides a list of federal land management agencies and contact information for the experts in these agencies.
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hoover, Katie
2012-08-17
-
Forestry Provisions in the 2014 Farm Bill (P.L. 113-79) [March 21, 2014]
"The Agricultural Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-79, the 2014 farm bill) was signed into law by President Obama on February 7, 2014, after both the House and Senate voted to approve a conference agreement. The 2014 farm bill establishes agricultural and food policy for the next several years, and also addresses several aspects of federal forestry policy. Forestry provisions were included in the Forestry title (Title VIII) of the 2014 farm bill as well as in some of the other titles. The 2014 farm bill generally repeals, reauthorizes, and modifies existing forestry assistance programs and provisions under two main authorities: the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act (CFAA; P.L. 95-313; 16 U.S.C. §§2101-2114), as amended, and the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (HFRA; P.L. 108-148; 16 U.S.C. §§6501-6591), as amended. Several forestry assistance programs were reauthorized through FY2018. However, many federal forestry assistance programs are permanently authorized, and thus do not require reauthorization in the farm bill. The farm bill also repeals programs that had expired or had never received appropriations. The 2014 farm bill includes provisions addressing the management of the National Forest System."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hoover, Katie
2014-03-21
-
Wilderness: Legislation and Issues in the 113th Congress [April 17, 2014]
From the introduction: "The 1964 Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. §§1131-1136) established the National Wilderness Preservation System and directed that only Congress can designate federal lands as part of the system. Many believe that special areas should be designated to protect and preserve their unique values and characteristics, and bills are usually introduced in each Congress to designate wilderness areas. Others oppose such legislation because commercial activities, motorized access, and roads, structures, and facilities generally are prohibited in wilderness areas. Debate over wilderness bills that may be introduced in the 113th Congress is likely to follow this pattern, especially as to how those prohibited activities affect law enforcement in wilderness areas along U.S. national borders. In addition, a December 2010 change to the Interior Department policy dictating management for wilderness-suitable areas stimulated legislation in the 112th Congress over the timing and nature of wilderness reviews. Despite the policy's retraction in 2011, this continues to spur congressional interest. This report presents background information on wilderness protection and a discussion of issues in the wilderness debate--the pros and cons of wilderness designation generally; possible considerations for specific legislation; and a discussion of possible wilderness study area designation and protection. This report also tracks the status of legislation introduced in the 113th Congress to designate new wilderness or release wilderness study areas. A table of legislation from the 112th Congress is in Appendix A to this report."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hoover, Katie; Alexander, Kristina; Johnson, Sandra
2014-04-17
-
Wilderness: Overview and Statistics [January 9, 2014]
"Congress enacted the Wilderness Act in 1964. This act created the National Wilderness Preservation System, reserved to Congress the authority to designate wilderness areas, and directed the Secretaries of Agriculture and of the Interior to review certain lands for their wilderness potential. The act also designated 54 wilderness areas with 9 million acres of federal land. Congress began expanding the Wilderness System in 1968, and today, there are 759 wilderness areas, totaling nearly 110 million acres, in 44 states. Numerous bills to designate additional areas and to expand existing ones have been introduced and considered in every Congress. The Wilderness Act defined wilderness as an area of undeveloped federal land, but, due to differing perceptions of wilderness and its purpose, did not establish criteria or standards to determine whether an area should be designated. In general, wilderness areas are undeveloped, and commercial activities, motorized access, and roads, structures, and facilities are generally prohibited in wilderness areas. However, in response to conflicting demands, Congress has granted both general exemptions and specific exceptions to the general standards and prohibitions. […] Alaska, because of its size and relatively pristine condition, dominates wilderness statistics--more than 52% of designated wilderness is in Alaska. In total, nearly 16% of all land (federal, state, private, and other) in Alaska has been designated as wilderness. In contrast, 3% of all land in the United States outside Alaska has been designated as wilderness."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hoover, Katie
2014-01-09
-
Federal Land Ownership: Acquisition and Disposal Authorities [March 5, 2014]
"The federal government owns roughly 640 million acres, heavily concentrated in 12 western states. Four agencies--the National Park Service (NPS), Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and Bureau of Land Management (BLM), in the Department of the Interior, and the U.S. Forest Service (FS) in the Department of Agriculture--administer about 95% of those lands. The extent to which these four federal agencies have authority to acquire and dispose of land varies considerably. The BLM has relatively broad authority for both acquisitions and disposals under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976. The agency has other authorities for disposing of land, including a law that allows transfers to governmental units and other entities for public purposes. By contrast, the NPS has no general authority to acquire land to create new park units or to dispose of park lands. The FS authority to acquire lands is mostly limited to lands within or contiguous to the boundaries of a national forest. The agency has various authorities to dispose of land, but they are relatively constrained and infrequently used. The FWS has various authorities to acquire lands, but no general authority to dispose of its lands. The agency frequently uses acquisition authority under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1929, because of the availability of funding through the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hardy Vincent, Carol; Corn, M. Lynne (Mary Lynne), 1946-; Comay, Laura B. . . .
2014-03-05
-
Forest Service Appropriations, FY2010-FY2014: In Brief [March 4, 2014]
"The Forest Service (FS) is responsible for managing 193 million acres of the National Forest System, as well as conducting forestry research and providing assistance to state, local, private, and international forest owners. Funding to complete such work is provided through both discretionary and mandatory appropriations. Although it is an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the FS receives its discretionary appropriations through Title III of regular Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bills. The FS has received additional discretionary monies through supplemental appropriations bills. In addition, continuing appropriations resolutions have been used to maintain funding for the agency when regular appropriations bills have not been enacted before the start of the fiscal year, and in some cases, to provide full-year funding. The FS also receives annual mandatory appropriations under existing authorizing statutes. Laws authorizing mandatory appropriations allow the FS to spend money without further action by Congress. The budget authority for several of these mandatory spending accounts is dependent on revenue generated by activities on the national forests. Typically, these laws are permanent--such as the Timber Salvage Sale Fund--but sometimes the authorizations have a sunset date. This report presents and analyzes the discretionary and mandatory appropriations for the Forest Service--including the President's discretionary budget requests--over the last five years, from FY2010 to FY2014."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hoover, Katie
2014-03-04
-
Forestry Assistance Programs [January 7, 2014]
"The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has numerous programs to support management of state and private forests. These programs are under the jurisdiction of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees and are often examined in the periodic legislation to reauthorize agricultural programs, commonly known as farm bills. Both the House (H.R. 2642) and Senate (S. 954) versions of the 2014 farm bill contain a forestry title with provisions affecting forestry-specific assistance programs. Both versions of the farm bill propose to repeal, reauthorize, and modify some of these programs. Forestry-specific assistance programs (in contrast to agriculture conservation programs that include forestry activities) are primarily administered by the USDA Forest Service (FS), with permanent authorization of funding as needed. The House version of the 2014 farm bill (H.R. 2642) proposes to eliminate the permanent authorization for many of these programs. [...] Overall funding for forestry assistance programs in FY2013 was $354 million. After a high of $429 million in FY2010, funding has decreased for three successive years. Funding for the forest management assistance programs--forest stewardship and urban and community forestry--has remained relatively constant over the past five years. However, funds for forest protection programs--forest health (for insect and disease identification and control), fire assistance, and forest legacy (for easements to prevent forest clearing)--are at five-year lows."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hoover, Katie
2014-01-07
-
Federal Land Ownership: Acquisition and Disposal Authorities [May 19, 2015]
"The federal government owns roughly 640 million acres, heavily concentrated in 12 western states. Four agencies--the National Park Service (NPS), Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in the Department of the Interior, and the U.S. Forest Service (FS) in the Department of Agriculture--administer about 95% of those lands. The extent to which these four federal agencies have authority to acquire and dispose of land varies considerably. The BLM has relatively broad authority for both acquisitions and disposals under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA). The agency also has other authorities for disposing of land, including a law that allows transfers to governmental units and other entities for public purposes. By contrast, the NPS has no general authority to acquire land to create new park units or to dispose of park lands. The FS authority to acquire lands is mostly limited to lands within or contiguous to the boundaries of a national forest. The agency has various authorities to dispose of land, but they are relatively constrained and infrequently used. The FWS has various authorities to acquire lands but no general authority to dispose of its lands. The agency frequently uses acquisition authority under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1929 because of the availability of funding through the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund. Congress also enacts legislation authorizing and governing the acquisition or disposal of particular lands. In some cases this is to provide authority where no standing authority exists, and in other cases it is to direct or facilitate land transactions."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hardy Vincent, Carol; Corn, M. Lynne (Mary Lynne), 1946-; Comay, Laura B. . . .
2015-05-19
-
Wildfire Spending: Background, Issues, and Legislation in the 114th Congress [June 26, 2015]
"The federal government is responsible for managing wildfires that begin on federal lands--such as national forests or national parks--while the states are responsible for managing wildfires that originate on all other lands. The federal government's wildfire management responsibilities-- provided primarily through the Forest Service (FS) and Department of the Interior (DOI)-- include prevention, detection, response, and recovery. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) may also provide disaster relief for certain nonfederal wildfires. Congress appropriates wildfire management funding to both FS and DOI. Within their overall appropriations for wildfire, suppression operati ons are appropriated through two accounts for each agency: the Wildland Fire Management (WFM) accounts and the Federal Land Assistance, Management, and Enhancement Act (FLAME) reserve accounts. If the suppression funding in both of these accounts is exhausted during any given fiscal year, FS and DOI are authorized to transfer funds from their other accounts to pay for suppression activities. Congress also may provide additional funds for suppression activities through emergency or supplemental appropriations. Thus, for any given year, total suppression appropriations to FS or DOI may be a combination of three sources: the WFM suppression activity, the FLAME account, and supplemental appropriations, and the agencies also may access additional funding as needed through transfers."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hoover, Katie; Lindsay, Bruce R.; McCarthy, Francis X. . . .
2015-06-26
-
Wildfire Spending: Background, Issues, and Legislation in the 114th Congress [July 7, 2015]
From the summary: "The federal government is responsible for managing wildfires that begin on federal lands--such as national forests or national parks--while the states are responsible for managing wildfires that originate on all other lands. The federal government's wildfire management responsibilities-- provided primarily through the Forest Service (FS) and Department of the Interior (DOI)-- include prevention, detection, response, and recovery. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) may also provide disaster relief for certain nonfederal wildfires. Congress appropriates wildfire management funding to both FS and DOI. Within their overall appropriations for wildfire, suppression operations are appropriated through two accounts for each agency: the Wildland Fire Management (WFM) accounts and the Federal Land Assistance, Management, and Enhancement Act (FLAME) reserve accounts. If the suppression funding in both of these accounts is exhausted during any given fiscal year, FS and DOI are authorized to transfer funds from their other accounts to pay for suppression activities. Congress also may provide additional funds for suppression activities through emergency or supplemental appropriations. Thus, for any given year, total suppression appropriations to FS or DOI may be a combination of three sources: the WFM suppression activity, the FLAME account, and supplemental appropriations, and the agencies also may access additional funding as needed through transfers."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hoover, Katie; Lindsay, Bruce R.; McCarthy, Francis X. . . .
2015-07-07
-
Wildfire Spending: Background, Issues, and Legislation in the 114th Congress [August 25, 2015]
"The federal government is responsible for managing wildfires that begin on federal lands-such
as national forests or national parks-while the states are responsible for managing wildfires that
originate on all other lands. The federal government's wildfire management responsibilities-
provided primarily through the Forest Service (FS) and Department of the Interior (DOI)-
include prevention, detection, response, and recovery. The Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) may also provide disaster relief for certain nonfederal wildfires. [...] Congress is debating the level and direction of federal spending on wildland fire management.
Wildfire spending has more than doubled since the 1990s, going from $1.6 billion in FY1994 to
$3.9 billion in FY2014. A significant portion of that increase is related to rising suppression costs,
even during years of relatively mild wildfire activity, although the costs vary annually and are
difficult to predict in advance."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hoover, Katie; Lindsay, Bruce R.; McCarthy, Francis X. . . .
2015-08-25
-
Softwood Lumber Imports From Canada: Current Issues [August 27, 2015]
"Softwood lumber imports from Canada have been of concern to Congress for many years. Under
the Constitution, Congress has the power to regulate interstate commerce and exercises authority
over trade relations with foreign nations. Lumber production is a significant industry in many
states, and U.S. lumber producers are concerned they are at an unfair competitive disadvantage in
the domestic market against Canadian lumber producers because of Canada's timber pricing
policies. This has resulted in four major disputes (so-called 'lumber wars') between the United
States and Canada since the 1980s. The last major dispute was resolved when the 2006 Softwood
Lumber Agreement (SLA) was signed. Under the agreement, Canadian softwood lumber shipped
to the United States is subject to export charges and quota limitations when the price of U.S.
softwood products falls below a certain level. That agreement is set to expire on October 12,
2015, although both countries are prohibited from filing for trade protections for one year after
the expiration."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hoover, Katie; Fergusson, Ian F.
2015-08-27
-
Wildfire Management: Federal Funding and Related Statistics [February 4, 2015]
"Wildfires can have beneficial and harmful impacts on ecosystems (e.g., by reducing fuel loads, or by damaging communities and timber resources). These impacts are generally measured and discussed based on the priorities of humans in these ecosystems. Federal resources are typically deployed during wildfire season--an annual occurrence of intense wildfire activity typically running from summer into fall--to help manage wildfires and potentially minimize some of the impacts, including the loss of life and property. […] Federal funding for wildfire management is provided in the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. The bill funds wildfire management at the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior, which are the two principal entities tasked with federal wildfire management. Federal wildfire response activities involve preparedness, suppression, fuel reduction, site rehabilitation, and more. More than $3.4 billion was appropriated for wildfire management in FY2015. The total wildfire management appropriations for 2014 were more than $3.9 billion and included $600 million for the Forest Service to reimburse wildfire transfers that occurred in FY2013. […] Proposals to create alternative mechanisms for funding wildfire suppression have been introduced in the 114th Congress (H.R. 167 and S. 235). […] The proposals would fund wildfire suppression for a select group of fires--theoretically the most extreme fires--by creating a new adjustment to the statutory discretionary spending limits. This report provides wildfire management appropriations data for FY2011-FY2015 and information on the President's FY2016 budget request for wildland fire management. The report also provides general wildfire management statistics (e.g., numbers of wildfires, acres burned, and firefighter personnel)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hoover, Katie; Bracmort, Kelsi
2015-02-04
-
Wildfire Statistics [August 2, 2018]
"Wildfires are unplanned and unwanted fires, including lightning-caused fires, unauthorized human-caused fires, and escaped prescribed fire projects. States are responsible for responding to wildfires that begin on nonfederal (state, local, and private) lands, except for lands protected by federal agencies under cooperative agreements. The federal government is responsible for responding to wildfires that begin on federal lands. The Forest Service (FS)--within the U.S. Department of Agriculture--carries out wildfire management and response across the 193 million acres of the National Forest System. The Department of the Interior (DOI) manages wildfire response for more than 400 million acres of national parks, wildlife refuges and preserves, other public lands, and Indian reservations. Wildfire statistics help to illustrate past U.S. wildfire activity. Nationwide data compiled by the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) indicate that the number of annual wildfires is variable but has stayed relatively constant over the last 30 years and that the number of acres burned annually, while also variable, generally has increased. Every year since 2000, an average of 73,200 wildfires burned an average of 6.9 million acres. This figure is nearly double the average annual acreage burned in the 1990s (3.3 million acres), although a greater number of fires occurred annually (78,600 on average)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hoover, Katie
2018-08-02
-
Wildfire Management Funding: Background, Issues, and FY2018 Appropriations [January 30, 2018]
"This report provides an overview of the accounts that fund wildfire management activities and historical wildfire management appropriations data, as well as information on FY2018 appropriations."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hoover, Katie
2018-01-30
-
Wildfire Suppression Spending: Background, Issues, and Legislation in the 115th Congress [November 8, 2017]
"Congress has directed that the federal government is responsible for managing wildfires that begin on federal lands, such as national forests or national parks. States are responsible for managing wildfires that originate on all other lands. Although a greater number of wildfires occur annually on nonfederal lands, wildfires on federal lands tend to be much larger, particularly in the western United States. The federal government's wildfire management responsibilities--fulfilled primarily by the Forest Service (FS) and the Department of the Interior (DOI)--include preparedness, prevention, detection, response, suppression, and recovery. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) also may provide disaster relief, mostly for certain nonfederal wildfires. Congress provides appropriations for wildfire management to both FS and DOI. Within these appropriations, suppression operations are largely funded through two accounts for each agency: Wildland Fire Management (WFM) accounts and Federal Land Assistance, Management, and Enhancement Act (FLAME) reserve accounts. If the suppression funding in both of these accounts is exhausted during a fiscal year, FS and DOI are authorized to transfer funds from their other accounts to pay for suppression activities; this is often referred to as 'fire borrowing.' Congress also may provide additional funds for suppression activities through emergency or supplemental appropriations. Thus, for any given year, total suppression appropriations to FS or DOI may be a combination of several sources: the WFM accounts, the FLAME accounts, additional funding as needed through transfers, and/or supplemental appropriations."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hoover, Katie; Lindsay, Bruce R.
2017-11-08
-
Federal Lands and Related Resources: Overview and Selected Issues for the 116th Congress [Updated March 18, 2019]
From the Document: "The Property Clause in the U.S. Constitution (Article IV, §3, clause 2) grants Congress the authority to acquire, dispose of, and manage federal property. The 116th Congress faces multiple policy issues related to federal lands and natural resources. These issues include how much and which land the government should own and how lands and resources should be used and managed. These issues affect local communities, industries, ecosystems, and the nation. [...] This report introduces some of the broad themes and issues Congress has considered when addressing federal land policy and resource management. These include questions about the extent and location of the federal estate. For example, typically Congress considers both measures to authorize and fund the acquisition of additional lands and measures to convey some land out of federal ownership or management. Other issues for Congress include whether certain lands or resources should have additional protections, for example, through resignation as wilderness or national monuments, or protection of endangered species and their habitat."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hoover, Katie; Comay, Laura B.; Crafton, R. Eliot . . .
2019-03-18
-
Federal Land Ownership: Acquisition and Disposal Authorities [Updated March 26, 2019]
From the Document: "The federal government owns roughly 640 million acres, heavily concentrated in 12 western states. Four agencies--the National Park Service (NPS), Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in the Department of the Interior, and the U.S. Forest Service (FS) in the Department of Agriculture--administer about 95% of those lands."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hardy Vincent, Carol; Comay, Laura B.; Crafton, R. Eliot . . .
2019-03-26
-
Federal Land Management Agencies [Updated April 26, 2019]
From the Document: "The Property Clause in the U.S. Constitution (Article IV, Section 3, clause 2) provides Congress the authority to acquire, dispose of, and manage federal property. Currently, approximately 640 million acres of surface land are managed by the federal government, accounting for nearly 28% of the 2.3 billion acres of land in the 50 states and District of Columbia."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hoover, Katie
2019-04-26
-
Fire Management Assistance Grants: Frequently Asked Questions [Updated February 14, 2019]
"Section 420 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (P.L. 93-288, hereinafter the Stafford Act) authorizes the President to 'declare' a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG). In the interest of saving time, the authority to make the declaration has been delegated to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA's) Regional Administrators. Once issued, the FMAG declaration authorizes various forms of federal fire suppression assistance such as the provision of equipment, personnel, and grants to state, local, and tribal governments for the control, management, and mitigation of any fire on certain public or private forest land or grassland that might become a major disaster. This federal assistance requires a cost-sharing component such that state, local, and tribal governments are responsible for 25% of the expenses. This report answers frequently asked questions about FMAGs. This report will be updated as events warrant."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Lindsay, Bruce R.; Hoover, Katie
2019-02-14
-
Federal Lands and Natural Resources: Overview and Selected Issues for the 114th Congress [April 6, 2015]
"The Property Clause in the U.S. Constitution (Article IV, §3, Clause 2) grants Congress the authority to acquire, dispose of, and manage federal property. The 114th Congress may consider multiple federal land and natural resources policy and management issues. These issues are complex and often interrelated, and include how much and which land the government should own, and how lands and resources should be used and managed. These issues affect local communities, industries, ecosystems, and the nation. There are approximately 640 million surface acres of federally owned land in the United States. Four agencies (referred to in this report as the federal land management agencies, or FLMAs) administer approximately 609 million surface acres (95%) of federal lands: the Forest Service (FS) in the Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and National Park Service (NPS), all in the Department of the Interior (DOI). […]This report introduces some of the broad themes and issues Congress considers when addressing federal land policy and resource management, including questions about the extent and location of the federal estate. For example, legislation may be introduced in the 114th Congress to continue funding laws that authorize the acquisition of additional lands, and other legislation may propose to convey some land out of federal ownership or management. Other issues for Congress may include whether certain lands or resources should have additional protections, for example, by designating certain lands as wilderness or national monuments, or protecting endangered species and their habitat. Congress also may address questions about wildfire management on both federal and nonfederal lands, such as questions about funding suppression efforts."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hoover, Katie
2015-04-06
-
Federal Lands and Natural Resources: Overview and Selected Issues for the 113th Congress [December 8, 2014]
"The Property Clause in the U.S. Constitution (Article IV, § 3, Clause 2) grants Congress the authority to acquire, dispose of, and manage federal property. The 113th Congress is considering multiple federal land and natural resources policy and management issues. These issues are complex and often interrelated, and include how much and which land the government should own, and how lands and resources should be used and managed. These issues affect local communities, industries, ecosystems, and the nation. […]This report introduces some of the broad themes and issues Congress considers when addressing federal land policy and resource management. Federal land policy includes questions about the extent and location of the federal estate. For example, some legislation in the 113th Congress would continue funding laws that authorize the acquisition of additional lands, while other legislation proposes conveying some land out of federal ownership or management. Other issues for Congress include whether certain lands or resources should have additional protections, for example, by designating certain lands as wilderness or national monuments, or protecting endangered species and their habitat. Congress may also address questions about wildfire management on both federal and nonfederal lands, including questions of how to fund suppression efforts."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hoover, Katie
2014-12-08
-
Wildfire Statistics [Updated April 10, 2020]
From the Document: "Wildfires are unplanned and unwanted fires, including lightning-caused fires, unauthorized human-caused fires, and escaped prescribed fire projects. States are responsible for responding to wildfires that begin on nonfederal (state, local, and private) lands, except for lands protected by federal agencies under cooperative agreements. The federal government is responsible for responding to wildfires that begin on federal lands. The Forest Service (FS)--within the U.S. Department of Agriculture--carries out wildfire management and response across the 193 million acres of the National Forest System. The Department of the Interior (DOI) manages wildfire response for more than 400 million acres of national parks, wildlife refuges and preserves, other public lands, and Indian reservations."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hoover, Katie; Hanson, Laura A.
2020-04-10
-
Federal Wildfire Management: Ten-Year Funding Trends and Issues (FY2011-FY2020) [October 28, 2020]
From the Summary: "Wildfire management is a series of coordinated activities to prepare for, resolve, and recover from wildfire events. The federal agencies responsible for wildfire management include the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service (FS) and the Department of the Interior (DOI). FS carries out wildfire response and management across the 193 million acres of national forests and national grasslands; DOI carries out these activities on more than 400million acres of national parks, wildlife refuges and preserves, Indian reservations, and other public lands. The federal agencies also coordinate wildfire response activities with state and local governments as needed. Both FS and DOI generally receive annual discretionary appropriations for wildfire management activities through the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bills. Wildfire management funding for DOI is provided to the Office of Wildland Fire (a department-level office). Both FS and DOI receive wildfire appropriations through similarly structured accounts, programs, and activities, though FS's account structure changed several times between FY2011 and FY2020. [...] Total combined FS and DOI wildfire appropriations fluctuated annually but increased from FY2011 to FY2020."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hoover, Katie
2020-10-28
-
Wildfire Management Funding: FY2021 Appropriations [October 29, 2020]
From the Document: "The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service (FS) and the Department of the Interior (DOI) are responsible for wildfire response and management across the federal lands within their respective jurisdictions. Both FS and DOI generally receive annual discretionary appropriations for wildfire management activities through the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bills. Wildfire management funding for DOI is provided to the department-level Office of Wildland Fire. Wildfire management appropriations fluctuate annually but began to increase in the late 1990s and rose markedly after FY2000. A significant portion of the annual fluctuations and overall increase in funding is related to fire suppression costs, which vary considerably and may be high even during years of relatively mild wildfire activity."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hoover, Katie
2020-10-29
-
Wildfire Statistics [Updated November 3, 2020]
From the Document: "Wildfires are unplanned and unwanted fires, including lightning-caused fires, unauthorized human-caused fires, and escaped prescribed fire projects. States are responsible for responding to wildfires that begin on nonfederal (state, local, and private) lands, except for lands protected by federal agencies under cooperative agreements. The federal government is responsible for responding to wildfires that begin on federal lands. The Forest Service (FS)--within the U.S. Department of Agriculture--carries out wildfire management and response across the 193 million acres of the National Forest System. The Department of the Interior (DOI) manages wildfire response for more than 400 million acres of national parks, wildlife refuges and preserves, other public lands, and Indian reservations."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hoover, Katie; Hanson, Laura A.
2020-11-03
-
Wildfire Suppression Spending: Background, Issues, and Legislation in the 115th Congress
"Congress has directed that the federal government is responsible for managing wildfires that begin on federal lands, such as national forests or national parks. States are responsible for managing wildfires that originate on all other lands. Although a greater number of wildfires occur annually on nonfederal lands, wildfires on federal lands tend to be much larger, particularly in the western United States. The federal government's wildfire management responsibilities--fulfilled primarily by the Forest Service (FS) and the Department of the Interior (DOI)--include preparedness, prevention, detection, response, suppression, and recovery. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) also may provide disaster relief, mostly for certain nonfederal wildfires. Congress provides appropriations for wildfire management to both FS and DOI. Within these appropriations, suppression operations are largely funded through two accounts for each agency: Wildland Fire Management (WFM) accounts and Federal Land Assistance, Management, and Enhancement Act (FLAME) reserve accounts. If the suppression funding in both of these accounts is exhausted during any given fiscal year, FS and DOI are authorized to transfer funds from their other accounts to pay for suppression activities; this is often referred to as 'fire borrowing.' Congress also may provide additional funds for suppression activities through emergency or supplemental appropriations. Thus, for any given year, total suppression appropriations to FS or DOI may be a combination of several sources: the WFM accounts, the FLAME accounts, additional funding as needed through transfers, and/or supplemental appropriations."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hoover, Katie; Lindsay, Bruce R.
2017-10-05
-
Wildfire Management Funding: Background, Issues, and FY2018 Appropriations [October 31, 2017]
"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 include 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 of perennial interest to Congress, with annual wildfire management appropriations being one indicator of how Congress prioritizes and addresses certain wildfire management concerns. [...] Congress is debating several issues related to federal funding for wildfire management. They 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). [...] This report provides an overview of the accounts that fund wildfire management activities and historical wildfire management appropriations data, as well as information on FY2018 appropriations."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hoover, Katie
2017-10-31
-
Wildfire Statistics [Updated November 16, 2018]
"Wildfires are unplanned and unwanted fires, including lightning-caused fires, unauthorized human-caused fires, and escaped prescribed fire projects. States are responsible for responding to wildfires that begin on nonfederal (state, local, and private) lands, except for lands protected by federal agencies under cooperative agreements. The federal government is responsible for responding to wildfires that begin on federal lands. The Forest Service (FS)--within the U.S. Department of Agriculture--carries out wildfire management and response across the 193 million acres of the National Forest System. The Department of the Interior (DOI) manages wildfire response for more than 400 million acres of national parks, wildlife refuges and preserves, other public lands, and Indian reservations. Wildfire statistics help to illustrate past U.S. wildfire activity. Nationwide data compiled by the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) indicate that the number of annual wildfires is variable but has stayed relatively constant over the last 30 years and that the number of acres burned annually, while also variable, generally has increased (see Figure 1). Every year since 2000, an average of 73,200 wildfires burned an average of 6.9 million acres. This figure is nearly double the average annual acreage burned in the 1990s (3.3 million acres), although a greater number of fires occurred annually (78,600 on average)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hoover, Katie
2018-11-16
-
Federal Assistance for Wildfire Response and Recovery [June 27, 2018]
From the Document: "Wildfires are unplanned and unwanted fires. Wildfires can have some beneficial impacts on an ecosystem, but also often threaten homes and communities and force the evacuation of thousands of people. Wildfires are often caused by lightning strikes, and may also occur when a prescribed burn escapes control or through unauthorized human activities (deliberate or accidental). Over the last 10 years (2008-2017), wildfires have burned 6.6 million acres annually on average in the United States. In 2017, more than 71,500 wildfires burned 10.0 million acres and destroyed more than 12,300 structures nationwide. More than 65% (8,065) of the structures destroyed were residences, and nearly 90% of the structures destroyed (11,000) were in a single state, California. Congress and other stakeholders have considered options for federal support and assistance to address wildfire suppression during a fire, post-wildfire recovery in the aftermath, and land management activities to reduce the risk of future catastrophic wildfires."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hoover, Katie
2018-06-27
