Forest Service spends a record $243 million on wildfires
Source: AP
WASHINGTON (AP) — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says the U.S. Forest Service has spent a record $243 million battling forest fires around the country so far this fiscal year.
Vilsack says the agency has spent all the money Congress provided for fighting wildfires in its 12-month budget period, forcing it to borrow money from forest restoration work designed to reduce the risk of fires. That's happened in six of the past 10 years.
He says further transfers are likely and the agency expects to continue spending about $200 million per week on fire suppression during the coming weeks.
The administration is pushing Congress to change how the government pays for fighting wildfires.
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