Report: Firefighting costs eroding conservation

By Kevin Freking

Published August 20, 2014 6:47pm ET

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Report: Firefighting costs eroding conservation — People watch a fire burning from the Highway 41 overlook on the way north into Oakhurst, Calif., Monday, Aug. 18, 2014. The fire is burning north of the community. (AP Photo/The Fresno Bee, Eric Paul Zamora) | Eric Paul Zamora

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration detailed on Wednesday the toll that the escalating cost of fighting forest fires has had on other projects as it pushes Congress to overhaul how it pays for the most severe blazes.

In a new report, the Agriculture Department said that staffing for fighting fires has more than doubled since 1998. Meanwhile, the number of workers who manage National Forest System lands has dropped by about a third.

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