Senators Say Firefighting Funding Overhaul Approaching "Sweet Spot" For Passage

Three U.S. Senators were in Boise Monday to restate their support of legislation that would overhaul the way the nation pays for its biggest wildfires. Senators Mike Crapo, R-ID, Jim Risch, R-ID, and Ron Wyden, D-OR, visited the National Interagency Fire Center for the third time in support of the proposal. They want to use federal emergency money to pay for catastrophic fires - similar to the way damage from floods, earthquakes and hurricanes gets paid for. That, supporters argue, would free up more funding for forest management and fire prevention. Crapo says the worst 1 percent of fires require about 30 percent of fire suppression funding. Risch says so far members of Congress from other regions have been reluctant to support the change. "They, of course, jealously guard the FEMA funds," he says. "And we're trying to tap into that because the disaster that a fire brings, obviously, is no different than that." While there are geographical interests in play, Wyden says the issue has