Tester wants forest management and fire funding changed

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., said in a telephone press conference Wednesday that the federal government needs to change how it funds wildfire fighting, and it needs to treat wildfires like it does other natural disasters.

"The Forest Service is robbing Peter to pay Paul when they are fighting these fires, and we need to fix that problem," Tester said

Wildfire suppression is paid for through funds in the U.S. Forest Service budget. When fire suppression funds run low, the service diverts money from other parts of its budget to be able to fight forest fires on federal land, a practice known as fire borrowing.

Tester said Wednesday that money should instead be set aside in the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, or elsewhere to fight wildfires.

Last year, more than half the Forest Service budget went to fighting fires, Tester said. He added that, with the federal government spending $350 million in Montana alone this fire season, it's likely to consume more of this year's budget, too.

He also said good forest management is key to reducing the number and intensity of wildfires.

"We need to cut down trees to keep our forests healthy," he said.

Tester added that the forest management would also create jobs and is why he sponsored the Forest Jobs and Recreation Act, which he first sponsored in 2009.

The bill would have mandated logging along with creation of some new recreation and wilderness areas in federal forests.

Tester said he would support a revival of the act, which he said has now been broken into smaller pieces. One of those pieces is the Blackwater Stewardship Project, which would increase access for recreation and forest management which was a part of the Jobs and Recreation Act.

A February press release from Tester's office said the project would protect 79,000 acres and establish a comprehensive trail plan to provide recreationists with access to the Lolo National Forest. It would also open up 2,200 acres to snowmobiling and protect access to 3,800 acres for mountain biking.

He said some members of Congress are calling for limiting public input and the right to sue over forest management projects. Tester said the forests are public land, and he doesn't want to do that.

"What we need is good work done by the forest service and we've got good people on the ground who can do that work if they are given the resources to do the work," he said.

In Washington, D.C., money gets people's attention, Tester said. He added that he hopes people will understand that if they spend money up front better managing forests, that they will save money for fire fighting on the back end.

Later, in a speech on the Senate floor, Tester called on the Senate to end fire borrowing. He also said Congress should reimburse the Forest Service for any money taken from its restoration, mitigation and maintenance funds. He added that Congress also needs to have an honest conversation about climate change.

Essential Air Services

The fate of Essential Air Services, the program that subsidizes commercial flights to and from small airports including daily flights between Billings and the Havre City-County Airport, will likely be decided in December when Congress tries to come up with a budget for the coming year, Tester said.

President Donald Trump called for the elimination of the $175 million program in his fiscal year 2018 budget blueprint released earlier this spring. Funding was preserved in a short-term spending bill that passed in May.

Tester said he anticipates funding for Essential Air will be in the new budget, and if a new budget doesn't pass a continuing resolution will. A continuing resolution would leave the federal budget at current funding levels, and the money for the program would be preserved.

Tax Reform

Tester said in the press conference that he is willing to work with Trump on tax reform.

Montana is one of 13 states Trump plans to visit in the next seven weeks as the White House ramps up its push for tax reform, Bloomberg News reported Tuesday.

No date on when or where Trump is supposed to appear was given.

The tax code, Tester said, is too complicated and can be simplified to be more equitable, help families, spur economic growth and create jobs, while not adding to the federal debt.

"All those things are really important and the debate needs to be done in a bipartisan way, but really, I haven't seen a plan yet," Tester said.

Any plan, he said, will be looked at and if it merits support he will support it, and if it doesn't he will try to change it so he can support it

Tester said the bill should go through committee and he is concerned the plan will be put forward without the opportunity for amendments or the chance for adequate input, similar to an unsuccessful attempt by the Senate this year to repeal and replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

Such an approach, Tester said, would be "a big mistake."