Officials in northern Arizona say millions of dollars in wildfire prevention projects funding are being held up by the Trump administration. Coconino County officials are concerned the slow up is hampering efforts ahead of any new fires this year.
At risk is nearly $6 million worth of logging projects in Coconino County amid the adjacent national forests.
Coconino County emergency management officials say $5.8 million in thinning projects in partnership with different nonprofit groups are waiting for a final sign off from the U.S. government but the signatures aren’t coming.
Jay Smith is the county’s forest restoration director. He says the county partners with organizations like the Nature Conservancy and the National Forest Foundation.
"They can’t do work on federal ground without these agreements being in place. They don’t have the authority so the agreements are holding up the whole process," Smith said.
The so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, led by Elon Musk started reviewing federal contracts in February.
"We should be out there getting ready to do work, and every acre that we treat before any fire season is reducing the risk of us having a catastrophic wildfire," Smith said. "So yes, it puts everyone at risk that we could have another fire when maybe we could have already treated those acres.
