A Senate committee will hold a hearing far, far north of the nation’s capital this week to hear how federal regulations and wildfire management are affecting outdoor recreation.
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Tuesday afternoon in Kenai, Alaska. The committee’s chairwoman, Republican Lisa Murkowski, is from the state.
The focus of the hearing will be to hear how regulations and wildfires are affecting recreation, hunting, fishing and tourism on the Kenai Peninsula. The peninsula is home to the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, which is widely known for its large population of brown bears.
“Last year alone, more than 5 million acres burned in Alaska — an area the size of Connecticut,” Murkowski said this week. “As fire season begins again, it’s clear that we have a real and growing problem on our hands, and to resolve it we need a comprehensive solution that addresses both wildfire funding and forestry management.”
The Kenai Peninsula has burned the last two summers and tens of thousands of acres of the area have been consumed. Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial beginning of wildfire season in Alaska, according to the Alaska Division of Forestry.
The Peninsula Clarion reported there were 16 wildfires on the peninsula off south-central Alaska between Jan. 1 and April 1.
Murkowski reported last year that 200 fires burned at once during last year’s wildfire season in the state.
She is working on wildfire legislation with Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho and Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho.
Last week, the group released a draft bill that would end the practice of “fire borrowing,” or taking funds away from maintaining forests and putting them toward fighting fires. Instead, the bill would enable the Department of Interior to meet its full fire-suppression funding needs.
The bill also would allow wildlife management areas to spend money on taking away the fuel for wildfires in forests during low-fire years, streamline the process to work on wildfire suppression projects, certify firefighting aircraft, personnel and support equipment, and improve wildfire fighting technology.
The legislation also would allow $500 million to be spent over seven years to help at-risk communities invest in wildfire-prevention projects.
“In an effort to move the discussion forward, we are asking for feedback on a diverse set of ideas to tackle the challenges of catastrophic wildfires. While not perfect, we are working to drive the discussion toward consensus and a 21st century management strategy,” said Cantwell, the top Democrat on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Local and state officials are set to testify. Among the witnesses are Chris Maisch, state forester and director of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Mayor Mike Navarre of the Kenai Peninsula Borough, Cindy Clock, executive director of the Seward Chamber of Commerce, Rick Gease, president of the Kenai River Sportfishing Association and Ted Spraker of Safari Club International.
