Senator discussed the investments her Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law makes in wildfire prevention, mitigation, and cleanup with Yavapai County officials
PRESCOTT – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema met with the U.S. Forest Service in Prescott and toured the Prescott Fire Center to discuss fire mitigation and recovery efforts with Yavapai County officials and experts in light of the recent Crooks Fire, which burned nearly 10,000 acres south of Prescott.
During the briefing, Sinema shared with Yavapai County officials how the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law – which she led and passed into law – provides $8.25 billion for wildfire management, resiliency, restoration, and natural resources-related infrastructure.
“We’re grateful for the Prescott Fire Center and area agencies’ work in detecting and responding to wildfires in our state. As fire season continues, we’ll keep working with leaders on the ground to protect Arizona communities and families, and ensure historic funding from our law is implemented quickly to lessen the impact of future fires,” said Sinema.
As Arizona experiences the most severe drought in 1,200 years, Yavapai County experts emphasized the importance of a robust wildfire prevention, mitigation, and cleanup plan for the region.
Sinema’s historic infrastructure law secured for the Prescott National Forest a total of $28.7 million for forest treatment from 2022 to 2024 — with $11.1 million coming in 2022 alone. Additionally, earlier this year, Sinema announced a $61 million investment for wildfire prevention in Arizona for 2022, directly investing in Arizona for the implementation of 4FRI as well as critical recovery and mitigation projects.
As part of the visit, Sinema and Yavapai County officials discussed how Arizonans rely on National Weather Service predictions and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data to predict fire trajectory and determine impacts to landscapes and their families’ safety. Sinema’s bipartisan law includes $80 million for NOAA high-performance computing and $50 million for wildfire prediction, detection, and forecasting, which will help the Prescott Fire Center respond to ongoing wildfires efficiently and effectively.
Click HERE to learn more about how the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law impacts wildfire mitigation.