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FEDERAL WARNING Feds say Northwest, Southwest could see catastrophic fires Southwest also an area of greater risk in 2015 Comment By Dan Elliot The Associated Press MailTribune.com By Dan Elliot The Associated Press Posted Jun. 9, 2015 at 5:20 PM By Dan Elliot The Associated Press Posted Jun. 9, 2015 at 5:20 PM » Social News DENVER — Despite a wet spring over much of the nation, the Obama administration warned Tuesday of potentially catastrophic wildfires this summer, especially in the Southwest and Northwest. "We've been very fortunate here in the central part of the country to have above-normal precipitation to allow us to postpone the fire season," U.S. Forest Service chief Tom Tidwell said at a news conference in Denver. But as the summer heat dries out forests and rangeland, the fire danger will rise, said Tidwell, who joined Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Interior Secretary Sally Jewell at the Denver briefing. Southern Arizona and drought-stricken California are especially vulnerable to large, costly fires, Tidwell said. Washington, Oregon, northern Idaho and western Montana will face increasing fire danger later in the summer, he said. Jewell said climate change and drought are to blame for worsening wildfires, which she said destroy homes and businesses, threaten power grids and drinking water and damage river valleys that cost millions and take decades to restore. "There's a lot at stake for everyone," she said. The Agriculture and Interior departments said federal firefighting costs are expected to range from $1.1 billion to $2.1 billion this year. The high end would exceed their combined firefighting budget of about $1.4 billion. If the costs exceed their firefighting budgets, the departments would have to transfer money from programs meant to reduce long-term fire danger by improving the health of forests and rangelands. Vilsack, Jewell and Tidwell again asked Congress to allow the administration to take the cost of fighting the worst wildfires out of federal disaster funds, rather than their firefighting budgets, to protect long-term fire prevention programs. The Obama administration says the worst 1 percent of all wildfires account for about 30 percent of federal firefighting costs. "These are emergencies," Jewell said. "They should be treated as such." She said the proposal has bipartisan support but the administration hasn't been able to persuade Congress to act. Vilsack added, "It's not asking about new money. It's about spending the existing resources a different way." The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday proposed a budget of $3.6 billion for both wildland firefighting and prevention for the fiscal year that starts in October, $52 million more than the current budget, committee spokeswoman Jennifer Hing said. By Dan Elliot The Associated Press MailTribune.com By Dan Elliot The Associated Press Posted Jun. 9, 2015 at 5:20 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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