An Arizona congressman included language to expedite White Sage Fire recovery in the Farm Bill that has passed the U.S. House.
The provision was included in an amendment sponsored by Arizona Republican Rep. Eli Crane.
It would grant the U.S. Forest Service emergency contracting authority to help expedite recovery efforts. The White Sage Fire burned close to 60,000 acres in northern Arizona last year.
The measure is modeled after legislation passed by the House in March to speed up restoration projects following the Dragon Bravo Fire, which burned on the Grand Canyon’s North Rim last summer.
The U.S. Senate still needs to vote on both bills.
More Arizona Wildfires News
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Grand Canyon National Park is dealing with ongoing recovery efforts from recent flash floods and a destroyed water pipeline, as well as the 20-25 Dragon Bravo Fire.
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When natural disasters hit a community, there’s naturally talk of rebuilding. That work, though, takes workers to do the rebuilding. Saket Soni is director of a group called Resilience Force, which represents people who do this kind of work in what’s called the resilience economy. -
The faster a fire burns, the more severe its ecological impacts. That's one of the findings of a new paper in the journal Science Advances. Climate change only promises to further accelerate those fires, according to its lead author. -
The U.S. Forest Service says it has reopened parts of Oak Creek in Sedona. The popular tourist destination was closed during the Pocket Fire in June. -
Flash floods in the Grand Canyon late last month killed two people and forced the evacuation of dozens of others. Heavy rains led to the flooding at the bottom of the canyon, including at Phantom Ranch.
