Senator discussed work delivering historic investments to help Arizona communities like Flagstaff manage wildfires as fire season approaches
WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema met with local leaders from the City of Flagstaff, including Mayor Becky Daggett and Councilmembers Miranda Sweet and Lori Matthews, to discuss how the historic investments she secured in wildfire prevention, mitigation, and recovery help Arizona communities better prepare for fire season.
Since Sinema’s landmark bipartisan infrastructure bill was signed into law in November 2021, over $211 million has been delivered for wildfire mitigation, resilience, and forest restoration in Arizona.
“Increasing wildfires and floods threaten the health and safety of communities like Flagstaff. As we head into fire season, I’m working with Arizonans to ensure they have the resources to better prevent, manage, and recover from devastating fires and resulting floods,” said Sinema, co-author and lead negotiator of the bipartisan infrastructure law.
Sinema’s bipartisan infrastructure law provides $3 billion to implement a 10-year plan to fight wildfires in Arizona and across the country, $61 million of which will be invested directly in Arizona for the implementation of the Four Forests Restoration Initiative (4FRI) as well as in four critical recovery and mitigation projects, including the Flagstaff Watershed Protection Project. In 2022, Sinema specifically announced $3,500,000 for the City of Flagstaff’s Watershed Protection Project.
Last summer, Sinema received a briefing and tour in Flagstaff to see firsthand the flood mitigation and recovery efforts impacting areas near the site of the Pipeline Fire. In May, Sinema visited Flagstaff to see the damage caused by the Tunnel Fire – which burned nearly 20,000 acres northeast of Flagstaff – and received a briefing from the U.S. Forest Service. Sinema’s bipartisan infrastructure law authorizes a once-in-a-generation $8.25 billion for wildfire management, resiliency, restoration, and natural resources-related infrastructure and includes a historic $12 billion for flood mitigation efforts.
In addition to addressing the City’s wildfire and flood maintenance, Sinema spoke with local leaders about other priorities for the community – including safeguarding the Rio de Flag and strengthening the Pulliam Airport Snow Removal Equipment – to ensure Flagstaff remains a safe and reliable place to call home for generations.
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