First we burn you out, and then we burn you again

In April, the federal government started a couple of controlled burns on forest land in northern New Mexico under pressure from local managers and US Forest Service (FSA) Chief Randy Moore, pushed in turn by Biden Administration increased precautionary burn standards. Biden’s Infrastructure Act quadrupled the amount of prescribed burns to be done, leading poorly trained USFS people to start burns in what otherwise would be negative conditions. You know, what we peons call a drought.

President Joe Biden’s infrastructure act earmarked $3 billion toward reducing wildfire risk and quadrupled the area some USFS regions must burn and thin, the report said.

Poorly trained and equipped USFS employees in New Mexico focused on complying with agency policy rather than adapting burn plans to changing environmental conditions, it said.

In a statement accompanying the review, Moore blamed the fire on climate change.

“Drought, extreme weather, wind conditions and unpredictable weather changes are challenging our ability to use prescribed fire as a tool to combat destructive fires,” he said.

Reuters via MSN

So the burns merged together  and became the biggest recorded fire in New Mexico history, burning out over 530 square MILES of land and torching 432 homes on “of mostly privately owned forests and meadows, much of it held by members of centuries-old Indo-Hispano ranching communities.”   Reuters

Not a problem…Joe says the Feds are covering all the costs.

“Today I’m announcing the federal government’s covering 100% of the cost,” President Joe Biden said during a visit to New Mexico in June. Biden was announcing a disaster declaration that covered debris removal and emergency protective measures.

But federal cost-sharing statutes on other federal relief programs are limiting Biden’s authority and exposing holes in the government safety net meant to help survivors and restore landscapes.

Daniel Encinias was among survivors who met Biden and was told by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials he would get timely support at little or no cost.

He, his wife Lori, three teenage children, four dogs and eight cats are living in a camping trailer next to the ashes of their home in Tierra Monte, 35 miles northeast of Santa Fe.

Encinias submitted an application to the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to fix his well, but was told to share 25% of costs based on a federal statute that could not be waived as it did not fall under Biden’s declaration.

Encinias said he was told by NRCS officials his application would be considered in September and recovery work would begin six to 12 months thereafter if he was accepted

“Why the hell am I going to pay anything when I didn’t cause this damn fire?” said Encinias, 55, as he fed his cattle hay he was forced to buy after his baler was torched.

The FSA Las Vegas office directed questions to State Executive Director Jonas Moya, who did not respond to a request for comment. The FSA’s national office did not respond to requests for comment.

Ibid

The problem seems to be that they can only pay 75% of the costs of this sort of thing by law, even though the federal government itself caused the whole problem. Bills are proposed to rectify that 25% shortage, but nothing is finalized as yet – and you know how the Feds are, they won’t spend their 75% until you have ponied up your 25%.

PS – The FSA office is in Las Vegas, NM, a rather nice town – which is running out of clean drinking water due to the massive contamination from the wildfires. Meanwhile monsoon season hit Las Vegas, NV and flooded enough of the attractions to concern the gamblers. If you want to be amused, look up Las Vegas NM and many of the stories talk about their water shortage while showing the Strip. Face it, geography isn’t Americans’ strong point.

Category: None