Senator Murray Announces Nearly $22 Million for Wildfire Risk Reduction Across WA State

$20.9 million announced for wildfire risk reduction across the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, nearly $1 million for mitigation efforts in the Colville National Forest

Funding comes from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act Murray helped pass

Washington DC - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced nearly $22 million in funding for wildfire risk reduction projects across Washington state. The grants are part of the U.S. Forest Service’s Wildfire Crisis Strategy and will support the U.S. Forest Service as they work to mitigate wildfire risks across Central Washington and the Colville National Forest. Funding for these grants comes from the Ley de Reducción de la Inflación y el Ley de Infraestructura Bipartidista, which Senator Murray played a key role in passing as Assistant Majority Leader—both pieces of legislation made historic investments in wildland fire management and reducing wildfire risk.  

“If the past few summers have taught us anything, it’s that wildfires are only becoming more frequent and more severe,” dijo el senador Murray. “For communities that are consistently affected by wildfires and wildfire smoke, these grants could not have come any sooner. I’m proud to have helped secure these resources for Washington state in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act—and I am working right now to secure additional resources for wildfire mitigation in the final government funding bills we are negotiating with the House. We have to be doing everything we can to ensure that communities at risk of wildfires have the resources they need to keep families, homes, businesses, and property safe.”

The first grant is $20.9 million for the Central Washington Initiative, for projects that will reduce wildfire risk to communities and promote forest health and resilience across the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. The second gran, of $980,160 will support wildfire mitigation efforts in the Colville National Forest.

Senator Murray is working to secure critical investments in wildfire suppression and mitigation—and in our firefighters—as Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. The draft, committee-passed Interior and Environment appropriations factura for Fiscal Year 2024 included essential investments in wildfire preparedness and suppression; as she negotiates the final funding bills for FY24, Senator Murray is working to ensure they maintain strong investments in combating wildfires and supporting firefighters.

El senador Murray también secured key investments in wildfire prevention and mitigation in last year’s government funding package in December 2022, and announced nearly $25 millones in funding for wildfire mitigation projects across Washington state funded by the Ley de infraestructura bipartidista. Last August, Senator Murray reunido con Chelan County firefighters, U.S. Forest Service representatives, and others for a briefing on wildfire activity in the Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest and across Washington state.