In a letter to the House Appropriations Committee, Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson today asked his colleagues to approve a variety of disaster assistance measures to assist the State of Idaho and those Idahoans impacted by the devastating drought and catastrophic wildfires. Simpson is seeking the assistance through upcoming disaster supplemental legislation expected before Congress this fall.
 
“As Congress looks to assist Americans impacted by floods, drought, fire, and other natural disasters, it must not forget the incredible toll these conditions had on our State’s citizens,” said Simpson. “Idaho was ground zero this year for drought and wildfires and experienced some of the worst fire conditions in decades, including our nation’s largest wildfire in Southwestern Idaho. Now is an appropriate time for Congress and the federal government to step forward and help our State’s citizens deal with the aftermath of this year’s disasters.”
 
Among the provisions Simpson is requesting in the disaster supplemental legislation are the following:

• Extension of the Crop Disaster Program to cover losses of any crop planted prior to October 1, 2007. Current law only covers crops planted prior to February 28, 2007.
• Extension of the Livestock Compensation Program and the Livestock Indemnity Program to cover losses that occurred prior to October 1, 2007. Current law only covers losses prior to February 28, 2007. The Livestock Compensation Program assists ranchers in purchasing feed for livestock during extreme drought conditions. The Livestock Indemnity Program provides compensation for livestock losses from a variety of conditions – including wildfire.
• Additional federal funding of measures to rebuild fencing lost or damaged in wildfires, and for reseeding and rehabilitation of federal lands impacted by wildfires.
• Reimbursement of costs incurred by the State of Idaho in fighting fires that began on federal lands. The state now estimates it has spent at least $28 million fighting fires this season – many of which began on federal lands and spread to state and privately owned lands.
   

Simpson also asked the Committee to consider provisions that would allow ranchers to better utilize grazing lands unaffected by fires and a provision that would ensure cattle were allowed back on some fire-impacted lands as early as next year. In addition, Simpson alerted the Committee to his desire to explore the possibility of promoting a pilot program on some fire-impacted Idaho lands that would permit the use of grazing as a fuels reduction management tool in the rehabilitation toolbox.
 
“While we look to secure funding to help with the economic losses sustained in Idaho, I believe it is equally important that we turn our attention to the longer-term issues that contribute to catastrophic wildfires,” said Simpson. “There is simply no doubt in my mind that the buildup of fuels on both forest land and range land contributed to the devastating nature of some of these fires. Therefore, I believe we need to quickly move to ensure grazing and forest health management practices are utilized effectively by public land managers to minimize the occurrence of catastrophic fires in the future.”