Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) today delivered remarks at the Nevada Network of Fire Adapted Communities Summit. The summit, which was presented via Zoom by the University of Nevada, Reno and the Nevada Division of Forestry, was designed to give community leaders, agency professionals, and the public more guidance on how to increase communities’ resilience to the destructive wildfires that are increasingly common in Nevada and the West.
“I was glad to have a chance to speak with Nevadans who are working so hard to save lives and livelihoods, especially when it comes to the increased number of fires we’re seeing this year at the intersection between neighborhoods and nature. It’s so important for Nevada to get the resources it needs so we can prepare communities and homeowners for these fires. That’s why I continue to have conversations with those on-the-ground in Nevada affected by fire, and that’s why I’ll continue to bring those voices to Washington to get the Silver State everything it needs to address wildfires.”
BACKGROUND:
Senator Cortez Masto has been a strong advocate for policies to prevent wildfires and to help Nevadans cope with the fires that occur. She has repeatedly called for the federal government to do more to support Western states affected by fire. In 2018, she worked to pass legislation to fix the problematic practice of fire-borrowing – taking money from other land management accounts to pay for wildfire services. She also has requested that the Nevada Air National Guard get the tools it needs to help combat these fires, including C-130J aircraft that could fight fires all over the West. She helped secure funding for the University of Nevada, Reno’s ALERTWildfire Program, which uses state-of-the-art cameras to monitor fires. In addition, she has introduced bipartisan legislation to stop those whose unauthorized drones interfere with fire-fighting efforts. In 2019, she hosted a first-of-its kind wildfire summit in Nevada to allow firefighters, ranchers, conservationists, scientists, power companies, and representatives of government agencies to find new ways to coordinate and collaborate. She held a similar wildfire briefing virtually in June, 2020.
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