President Obama is endorsing two Oregon Senators’ plan to reform federal wildfire policy.
The new policy would fund major wildfires the same way as other natural disasters while freeing up money to prevent future fires.
President Obama plans to incorporate the bill by Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley into his 2015 budget proposal.
The measure treats the largest fires as natural disasters, funding firefighting efforts from the same disaster account that pays for hurricane and other natural disaster relief efforts.
The move could free up $412-million from the regular budget for fire prevention funding.
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