Resources that Sen. Cortez Masto Delivered Have Helped Prevent Worse Devastation From the Blaze
In Case You Missed It, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined the U.S. Forest Service, the Nevada Division of Forestry, and the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District to visit the burn scar of the Davis Fire in Washoe Valley and discussed how resources she secured from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act helped reduce dangerous fuels in the area, preventing worse devastation. Cortez Masto was instrumental in delivering approximately $86 million over the past two years to support new equipment, firefighter salaries, and fuels treatment — all of which helped lessen the severity of the Davis Fire. She also helped designate the Sierra and Elko Fronts as Wildfire Crisis Strategy Landscapes for wildfire prevention efforts.
As Reno experienced another wildfire this past week, continued support for wildlife suppression, prevention, and recovery programs is more important than ever. Senator Cortez Masto will continue to push for comprehensive legislation to prevent wildfires, and for permanent pay raises for federal firefighters.
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As devastating as the Davis Fire was, officials say it could have been much worse if not for several fuel projects that helped prevent further spread. The area the senator toured today just off of 580 has undergone major fire mitigation work over the past 20 years, thanks to federal funding, including from the bipartisan infrastructure package and the Inflation Reduction Act. Senator Cortez Masto says this was possible because of a shared stewardship made up of several agencies that she says is unique to Nevada.
Cortez Masto: “It could have been so much worse had they not been here since 2006 and beyond managing the fuels here, and it’s because of that shared stewardship of management and the work that they’ve done.”
The senator also said she plans to take the information about the success of those mitigation efforts back to Washington D.C., to continue to ensure this kind of funding going forward.
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