fire borrowing

MaryW commented on the word fire borrowing

Introduced by Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, and Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act would put an end to federal policy that amounts to throwing good money after bad. The bill, which is co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of 16 representatives, targets the practice of “fire borrowing” in the suppression of wildfires.

In short, the approach forces federal agencies to redirect money from other areas — namely, forest management and fire prevention — when the cost of fighting fires exceeds expectations. This leaves less money for prevention, which exacerbates the fires in future years.

In Our View: Put Out 'Fire Borrowing', The Columbian, June 19, 2017

Fire borrowing is a budgetary practice that occurs when federal agencies divert funds from forest health and fire prevention programs to fight wildfires.

Western Governors Urge Congress: Make End to 'Fire Borrowing' Top Priority, Western Governors' Association, Nov. 15, 2016

August 8, 2017