Robert Besser
24 Jan 2023, 13:11 GMT+10
WASHINGTON D.C.: The Biden Administration announced this week an additional expenditure of $490 million to combat the growing threat of wildfires in the western US.
Authorized by last year's Inflation Reduction Act, the move comes after massive wildfires ravaged North and South America, Europe, Australia and parts of Asia in 2022, which were driven by warmer and drier weather, according to scientists.
"It is no longer a matter of if a wildfire will threaten many western communities in these landscapes, it is a matter of when. The need to invest more and to move quickly is apparent. This is a crisis and President Biden is treating it as one," said US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
Controlled burns and the removal of dead wood and vegetation in forest in Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington would be funded by the extra money, Vilsack added.
In 2022, the Biden administration announced a 10-year plan to treat and maintain millions of additional acres of forests in the western US to ease the severity of seasonal blazes, with some $440 million being provided by the Infrastructure Act of 2021.
The US Forest Service, part of the Department of Agriculture, manages some 2 million acres in the western US.
According to US government statistics, in 2022 wildfires burned more than 7.5 million acres in the US, causing billions of dollars in damage.
Get a daily dose of Cape Town Express news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Cape Town Express.
More InformationWASHINGTON D.C.: Republican US Senator Josh Hawley has said that he plans to introduce a bill to ban the use ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: This week, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed significant limits on levels of lead in processed ...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Finland and Sweden are prepared to join the NATO alliance, the U.S. State Department announced this week.The move ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: The US Justice Department has filed an antitrust complaint claiming that Google is abusing its dominance in digital ...
Public health experts have welcomed Mexico's ban on cigarette smoking in all public places, including hotels and beaches, after the ...
YONKERS, New York: After testing discovered harmful levels of heavy metals in chocolate, consumer magazine Consumer Reports has urged four ...
Sydney [Australia], January 29 (ANI): Australia all-rounder Cameron Green might come up short on his bowling fitness as he eyes ...
Manzini, Eswatini - Hundreds of people, including foreign diplomats and activists, paid homage Saturday to a human rights lawyer who ...
New Delhi [India], January 28 (ANI): Legendary South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis, former New Zealand batter Ross Taylor, Australian pace ...
Bloemfontein [South Africa], January 28 (ANI): England batter Jason Roy admitted on Saturday that he was overcome with emotions after ...
Rourkela (Odisha) [India], January 28 (ANI): Skipper Harmanpreet Singh, Akashdeep, Shamsher Singh were among the goal scorers as India thrashed ...
Bloemfontein [South Africa], January 28 (ANI): South Africa spoilt Jofra Archer's return to international cricket and boosted their own chances ...