Senate Proceeding on Sep 21st, 2009 :: 0:05:00 to 0:12:45
Total video length: 3 hours 58 minutes Stream Tools: Stream Overview | Edit Time

Note: MetaVid video transcripts may contain inaccuracies, help us build a more perfect archive

Views:67 Duration: 0:07:45 Discussion

Previous speech:

Next speech:

0:04:56 to 0:05:16( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Bingaman: we expect. so the main thing is though, the next 24 hours, people should be offering amendments on these interior bill, if they have any to offer. would the chair be good enough to announce morning business? the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved and the senate will trod a period of morning business until 3:00 p.m.

0:05:00 to 0:12:45( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Jeff Bingaman

0:05:17 to 0:05:37( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Bingaman: with senators ten minut mr. bingaman: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from new mexico. mr. bingaman: mr. president, first i'd ask unanimous consent that national park service fellow working on the staff of the committee on natural resources

0:05:38 to 0:05:58( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Bingaman: this year, be granted floor privileges and the remainder of the senate's h.r. 2996. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. bingaman: mr. president, i realize we're not on the interior appropriation bill at this point. we are in morning business. but i wanted to speak briefly about three amendments that i

0:05:59 to 0:06:20( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Bingaman: plan to offer when we do go on the interior appropriation bill and just to alert colleagues about those amendments and hopefully persuade them that they are meritorus. the first amendment incorporates the key provision of the flame act, which establishes a

0:06:21 to 0:06:41( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Bingaman: separate appropriations account to fund federal emergency wildfire suppression costs in an effort to initiate a more sustainable method for funding federal fire fighting activities. we've seen a dramatic growth in the number and the size and the severity of wildfires in recent years.

0:06:42 to 0:07:02( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Bingaman: the trend in the number of acres burned by wildfires each year has tripled over the last 25 years, exceeding 8 million acres in four of the last five years. while the agencies consistently have put out about 98% of the fires quickly and inexpensively,

0:07:03 to 0:07:24( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Bingaman: we've seen many fires that have been so extreme tha it takes weeks or months of effort and many millions of dollars to get those fires under contr. the recent station fire in southern california is one example. it is now nearly four weeks since that fire started.

0:07:25 to 0:07:45( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Bingaman: it has burned more than 160,000 acres. it still is not 100% contained. at times, there have been over 5,000 personnel assigned to fire. fi 130 miles of fire line with the support of helicopters and airplanes,

0:07:46 to 0:08:06( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Bingaman: hundreds of fire engines, more than 65 bulldozers. the price tag for these efforts is more than $85 million and stil counting. the forest service's costs for fighting wildfires have increased sevenfold last 20 years. yet we still budget for

0:08:07 to 0:08:27( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Bingaman: wildfires the same way that we did 20 years ago. we take the average of the previous 10 years of fire suppression costs out of the agency's budgets and we make that their standard appropriation for each year. back then wildfire management

0:08:28 to 0:08:48( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Bingaman: accounted for less than 20% of the forest service's budget. that was 20 years ago. today wildfire management accounts for 50% of the forest service's not surprisingly, the fort service has exceeded that budget every year for more than a decade, as it is mathematically

0:08:49 to 0:09:09( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Bingaman: guaranteed to do with the wildfire trends that we have seen. as a had to borrow and to steal literally billions of dollars from other programs such as recreation and grazing and wildlife and even fuel reduction to pay for emergency wildfire suppression.

0:09:10 to 0:09:31( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Bingaman: in sum, our wildfire budgeting practicesre broken. they are steadily breaking the forest service and the communities and businesses and natural resources that the forest service is committed to serving. these troubling trends are only expected to get worse as a result of continuing climate change and population growth in

0:09:32 to 0:09:52( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Bingaman: and around our national forest. the amendment that i plan to offer seeks to establish a new paradigm for funding federal wildfireuppression activities. under the amendment, the agencies would continue to rely on their regular appropriations accounts to fund their routine wildfire suppression costs -- that the approximately 98% of

0:09:53 to 0:10:15( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Bingaman: fires that they can either swiftly put out or can manage for resource benefits. but when they end up battling a large and extreme wild liarlike, like the fire in southern california, they can access a new emergency account to cover the exorbitant costs of fighting those kinds of fires.

0:10:16 to 0:10:36( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Bingaman: if funded as intended, the new emergency account would ensure that congress would not have to raid the rest of the agencies' agents to make for wildfire suppression. it also agencies would no longer have to steal funds from the other programs for which congress has appropriated funding in order to pay for unbudgeted costs of

0:10:37 to 0:10:57( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Bingaman: fighting the massive fires that require an emergency response. thanks to the leadership of the administration and senator committee for the first time in many years the underlying bill amount of money for wildfire suppression. as a result, the amendment that

0:10:58 to 0:11:19( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Bingaman: i'm offering merely shift shifts money into a new emergency account. it does not result in any increase in spending. cosponsored by a number of other members. i appreciate their support as well as support of many dozens of interest groups. i'd also like to mention that the "flame" act passes the house of representatives in march by a

0:11:20 to 0:11:40( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Bingaman: vote of 412-3. so i believe this is that has broad support on both sides of the aisle and on both sides of capitol hill. the second amendment that i plan to offer simply provides for the funds that are already allocated to

0:11:41 to 0:12:02( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Bingaman: restoration act to be deposed i thin--deposited in the special fund to carry out that this amendment also will be cosponsored by a number of other members. i'd like to extend my thanks to chairman feinstein who coauthored the forest restore rigs act with me and senator domenici and rank member alexander, for including funding nor important program.

0:12:03 to 0:12:23( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Bingaman: finally, senator murkowski and i plan to offer an amendment that would ke improvements to the national forest foundation act. again, i hope that these amendments will be adopted. i appreciate the consideration of the two managers of the for these threemendments. mr. president, i yield the floor and suggest the abs

0:12:24 to 0:12:34( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Bingaman: quorum. clerk will call the roll.