{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://stanton.house.gov/2022/7/stanton-bill-would-help-arizona-use-federal-funds-to-recover-from-wildfires", "Stanton Bill Would Help Arizona Use Federal Funds to Recover From Wildfires", "2022-07-27", "2022", "2022-07", "Democrat", "House", "AZ", "Greg Stanton", "S001211", "stanton.house.gov", "stanton", "https://stanton.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "Rep. Greg Stanton introduced a bill this week that would allow Arizona to use federal funds to recover from wildfires in a way that is already permitted for other kinds of disasters, such as hurricanes, earthquakes and tornadoes.\n\nH.R. 8516, the Wildfire Response Improvement Act would require the Federal Emergency Management Agency to update its regulations and guidance for several grant programs to better respond to the challenges of worsening wildfires in the American west.\n\nToday, federal support for fighting wildfires ends as soon as the fire is extinguished. But post-fire risks are immense: Burn scars from the blazes can lead to life-threatening mudslides and flooding, which create serious public safety risks and can cause significant property damage. Arizona\u2019s state and local governments must bear the entire cost of post-fire expenses.\n\nCurrent federal guidance disproportionately favors other natural disasters while overlooking the unique challenges of wildfires.\n\nStanton\u2019s bill has already earned support from Arizona policymakers and emergency management professionals.\n\n\u201cThis important legislation will allow FEMA to treat wildfires and post-wildfire flood mitigation on a level playing field as other natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes,\u201d Flagstaff Mayor Paul Deasy said. \u201cAmidst one of our worst fire seasons in recent memory, it is patently unfair that wildfires and post-wildfire mitigation can\u2019t qualify for FEMA disaster relief funds and this legislation is an important first step to rectifying this inequity. I am thankful for Congressman Stanton hard work and leadership on this issue.\u201d\n\nPatrice Horstman, chair of the Coconino County Board of Supervisors, said the bill would make a meaningful difference for northern Arizona.\n\n\u201cIntroduction of this bill could not have come at a better time,\u201d she said. \u201cAfter suffering through the Museum Fire in 2019, and now both the Pipeline and Tunnel Fires this year, we have suffered tremendous damage in Coconino County. This dynamic will only unfortunately worsen as monsoons continue to affect our County with dangerous and costly post-wildfire flooding. We hope this commonsense legislation passes Congress and is signed by the President to promote Coconino County\u2019s ability to continue to respond to these events without financial devastation to the county. I am thankful for Congressman Stanton\u2019s continued hard work for all residents of Arizona, not just those in his District.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis opportunity to update FEMA\u2019s policies and procedures will fundamentally change how we address wildfires and more appropriately address the continually emerging risk of these events. Updates to the Fire Management Assistance program, the Public Assistance guidance, and benefit cost analysis process will bring wildfires on par with other disasters and level the playing field for state and local responders,\u201d Erica Bornemann, the president of the National Emergency Management Association, said.\n\nStanton said the need to provide further aid to Arizona\u2019s wildfire protection efforts is urgent, and that he has been working with House leadership to develop a legislative package that he hopes will be passed soon.\n\n\u201cTime is of the essence,\u201d Stanton said. \u201cAs we enter another dangerous fire season under historic drought conditions, it\u2019s more important than ever that the federal government supports our local partners as they respond to and recover from disasters.\u201d\n\nStanton\u2019s bill would also improve FEMA\u2019s benefit cost analysis for wildfire mitigation projects to help them be more competitive for federal funding.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T02:49:02Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://stanton.house.gov/2022/7/stanton-bill-would-help-arizona-use-federal-funds-to-recover-from-wildfires"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7831979785114527, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}