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 InformationBATAM, Indonesia: Due to mounting geopolitical tensions and protests against China's activities in the South China Sea, ASEAN member nations ...
FREMONT, California: This week, brain-chip startup Neuralink, owned by billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk, said an independent review board granted ...
BOSTON, Massachusetts: Officials said that a Delta flight from Chicago to Boston that was possibly struck by lightning landed safely ...
JAKARTA, Indonesia: An Indonesian court sentenced Lina Lutfiawati, also known as Lina Mukherjee, to two years in prison this week ...
HONG KONG: The Chinese Foreign Ministry has issued a request to all foreign consulates in Hong Kong, seeking the personal ...
MARTIN COUNTY, Florida: An Amazon driver making a delivery to a Florida home this week was bitten by a rattlesnake ...
Abuja, Nigeria - If you listen to the African leaders addressing the United Nations General Assembly this year, the message ...
New York [US], September 24 (ANI): Bhutan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Tandi Dorji congratulated India for the remarkable success of ...
Islamabad [Pakistan], September 24 (ANI): Ahead of the general elections in Pakistan, the World Bank gave a candid warning for ...
New York [US], September 24 (ANI): The ministers of IBSA, comprising India, Brazil, and South Africa agreed that terrorism is ...
New York [US], September 23 (ANI): The ministers of IBSA- India, Brazil and South Africa - have commended the successful ...
Chicago [United States], September 23 (ANI): Two-time World Cup winner Megan Rapinoe will play her final international match against South ...