Heller continues push for federal fire assistance funds in Nevada

U.S. Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV) again urged the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) to immediately review his home state’s second request for government funds to help recover from a major wildfire that has burned more than 230,000 acres in northeastern Nevada.

Now that Nevada has appealed FEMA’s denial for assistance to cover the costs associated with damages caused by the South Sugarloaf Fire, the agency should reconsider criteria in its Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) program to determine the state’s eligibility for funding, Sen. Heller said.

“The State of Nevada is appealing its recent denial by your agency, and I strongly urge you to immediately review this appeal to ensure that all of Nevada’s communities, both urban and rural, have the proper funding to mitigate the damages caused by wildfire,” Sen. Heller wrote in a Sept. 20 letter to FEMA Administrator Brock Long.

Sen. Heller reiterated his concerns about FEMA’s eligibility criteria for a wildfire to qualify for assistance under the FMAG program.

“While I have expressed to you my support for this program, I have concerns that the current eligibility standards for FMAG may put my state’s rural communities at a disadvantage,” according to his letter. “In order to qualify for FMAG, your agency requires a threat to life and property, including threats to critical infrastructure and critical watershed areas.”

Sen. Heller noted in his letter that the state is 85 percent managed by the federal government so many of his constituents rely on federal lands for their livelihood. He said he doesn’t think FEMA adequately weighs in this fact when determining FMAG eligibility.

In fact, he wrote, the Sugarloaf fire has resulted in Nevadans losing access to public lands they utilize for grazing and energy development, among other purposes, and the fire also has damaged private lands, forcing many of the senator’s constituents to be “placed under mandatory evacuation as the blaze grew in size and speed.”

“When reviewing the State of Nevada’s application, I respectfully ask that your agency take into consideration the severe consequences of the South Sugarloaf Fire on our public lands … and any other factor that has a significant economic impact in the region,” the lawmaker wrote.

Sen. Heller asked Long for a “prompt response” to both the Nevada appeal and his Aug. 28 letter regarding the same topic.

Additionally, as a member of the Senate Western Caucus, Sen. Heller joined caucus members in signing a Sept. 5 letter sent to 2018 Farm Bill conferees asking that the bill include forest management reforms that address this year’s devastating wildfires across the western United States.

“Wildfires have consumed more than six million acres thus far this year, which is substantially above the historical average for the same time period,” according to the 13 Republican lawmakers in their letter to U.S. Senate and House conference committee leaders.

“We urge you to include much-needed reforms to restore active forest management nationwide and reduce the risk and severity of catastrophic wildfires,” the senators wrote.

Sen. Heller noted in his recent letter to Long that he’ll “continue fighting to ensure that FEMA’s policies and procedures are beneficial to all Americans, including western states like Nevada.”