Obama administration presses on firefighting funds
The Obama administration is pushing Congress to ensure enough money is available to fight wildfires.
The pressure is coming as California recovers from a spate of fires in San Diego County and other states brace for a hot, dry summer.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack intends to appear Tuesday in Denver to discuss 2015 budget proposals that call for annual spending to equal 70 percent of the estimated 10-year average firefighting cost. His plan also calls for an additional $954 million disaster funding pool.
In the past, when firefighting funds have run out, money has been borrowed from fire-prevention programs.
Vilsack also intends to announce prevention measures to help 94 national forest areas in 35 states address insects and disease that turn trees into tender.
