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Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., blasted the Bush
administration Tuesday for proposing budget cuts
of nearly 15 percent to the U.S. Forest Service at
a time when fire prevention is most needed, she
said.
The senator, who chairs the Senate appropriations
subcommittee on the interior, environment and
related agencies, spoke at a hearing on the 2009
budget request for the Forest Service.
"Frankly, I just don't see how anyone could
consider this a serious budget proposal," she
said.
During her opening remarks, Feinstein touched on a
number of items, including Lake Tahoe restoration,
the Forest Service budget, firefighting retention
issues and drug eradication on public land.
Her comments came two week
after a bi-state commission formed after the
Angora fire called on the Bush administration to
declare a state of emergency for the Lake Tahoe
Basin because of the threat of catastrophic fire.
Nearly $8 million in federal money is needed
immediately, the commission stated, for fire-fuel
reduction efforts in the basin.
"Because the Forest Service manages 20 percent of
the land in California, this agency and its budget
are incredibly important to my state from an
environmental-protection, recreation and
public-safety perspective," Feinstein said.
"Therefore, any budget proposal that is less than
adequate is a real problem for California."
On the surface, the cuts proposed for the Forest
Service's $4.1 billion budget amount to 8 percent,
or $379 million, from this year's levels. However,
there are hidden cuts not taken into
consideration, Feinstein told the subcommittee.
"In reality, though, the cuts
are much deeper. Factor in the $77 million needed
to fund fixed-cost increases and the $148 million
increase needed to cover the 10-year fire
suppression average, and the Forest Service budget
is $600 million less than what is needed just to
break even," Feinstein said.
"The bottom line here is that under the
administration's proposal, the Forest Service is
being cut nearly 15 percent."
According to the senator, the following cuts are
planned:
-- Firefighter readiness is cut 12 percent.
-- Hazardous fuels-reduction
work is cut 4 percent.
-- Law-enforcement programs are cut 13 percent.
-- Construction and maintenance programs are cut
15 percent.
-- Recreation programs are cut 10 percent.
-- Research programs are cut 8 percent.
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