Daines Calls Out U.S. Forest Service for Lack of Fire Management Transparency

• October 11, 2024

Echoes Concerns Raised by Montana Governor Greg Gianforte

U.S. SENATE - U.S. Senator Steve Daines today sent a letter to the United States Forest Service (USFS) requesting more transparency about wildfire management strategy actions following recent concerns raised by Montana Governor Greg Gianforte. More transparency will help the public better understand how USFS plans to handle wildfires and will allow for better oversight as well.

"Montanans are tired of breathing in smoke and as Governor Gianforte points out, the Biden-Harris Forest Service failed Montanans in a number of areas. Specifically, the Forest Service is not being transparent with state partners and the public about which wildfire management strategies are being used. This includes whether fire monitoring is considered part of full suppression or if one wildfire can be split into different management strategies for different sections of the wildfire. Neither of these two alternatives are addressed in the Master Cooperative Agreement so this concern is understandable. It is important for continued firefighting efforts to address these concerns quickly and comprehensively," said Daines.

Read the full letter HERE.

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Contact: Matt Lloyd, Rachel Dumke