President Trump has signed an executive order on wildfire policy, which seeks to speed responses to wildfires and address what it calls “reckless mismanagement.”
Among the order's proposals is the streamlining of wildland fire governance. In it, Trump directs the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture to consolidate the five agencies with fire responsibilities that they oversee “to the maximum degree practicable and consistent with applicable law” within 90 days. The goal is “to achieve the most efficient and effective use of wildland fire offices, coordinating bodies, programs, budgets, procurement processes, and research…”
The order, signed June 12, does not explicitly mention the U.S. Wildland Fire Service, a new agency which is outlined in recent budget documents from the two agencies.
“Trump is rushing through this consolidation scheme during peak wildfire season,” said Timothy Ingalsbee, executive director of the fire policy advocacy group FUSEE. “It's really confusing.”
But while he has concerns about the proposal, there are some aspects he supports. The executive order also instructs the Environmental Protection Agency to “consider modifying or rescinding… Federal rules or policies that impede the use of appropriate, preventative prescribed fires.”
Ingalsbee called that “a great thing.”
“There’s a bit of a mixed bag here,” he said of the document.
One controversial provision in a draft of the order published by news outlets in April was omitted. It called for the “immediate suppression of fires.” Aggressive suppression is widely believed to be one of the principal culprits in today's wildfire crisis. Even the Forest Service has acknowledged that “an overemphasis on fire suppression” has been a contributing factor to the severity of wildfires. Ingalsbee said it was “a relief” to not see that language in the final order.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
