Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry Committee, sent a letter to U.S. Forest Service Chief Randy Moore calling on the U.S. Forest Service to stand ready to support any request from Canada for American support in suppressing the spread of wildfires in Quebec. The wildfires are causing smoke that is blanketing New York State—much of New York State is under an air quality alert and on Tuesday, June 6, New York City briefly ranked as having the worst air quality of any city in the world.
Gillibrand is calling on the U.S. Forest Service to stand ready to act under the authority of the Northeastern Forest Fire Protection Compact, a forest fire protection agreement between U.S. states and Canadian provinces that enables members to coordinate and provide mutual aid to fight fires that are beyond the resources of any single member state.
Gillibrand wrote, “I am requesting that the U.S. Forest Service stand ready to support impacted Compact members should the government of Canada request American support in suppressing the spread of these wildfires. I urge the U.S. Forest Service to proactively work with the Canadian Forest Service on fire suppression and mitigation tactics to prevent any damage to life or property to citizens of the United States.”
Read a full copy of the letter here or below:
The Honorable Randy Moore
Chief of the U.S. Forest Service
United States Department of Agriculture
Dear Mr. Moore,
On June 5, 2023 the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) issued an air quality alert due to smoke from the ongoing wildfires in the Canadian province of Quebec.On the same day, there were over 154 active wildfires within the province,112 of which are classified as “out of control.” But this poor air quality is not just affecting New York, but reaches thousands of communities as far south as Georgia and as far west as Missouri. I commend the New York DEC for deploying a New York State Forest Ranger to assist with efforts to contain these current raging wildfires.
Under the authority given to the U.S. Forest Service by the Northeastern Forest Fire Protection Compact (P.L.81-129), the U.S. Forest Service may coordinate with impacted compact members on extinguishing and preventing cross-border fires. The mandate of the Northeastern Forest Fire Protection Compact is to “promote effective prevention and control of forest fires in the northeastern region of the United States and adjacent areas in Canada… [and] by providing for mutual aid in fighting forest fires among the states of the region.”
I am requesting that the U.S. Forest Service stand ready to support impacted Compact members should the government of Canada request American support in suppressing the spread of these wildfires. I urge the U.S. Forest Service to proactively work with the Canadian Forest Service on fire suppression and mitigation tactics to prevent any damage to life or property to citizens of the United States.
I commend the work of the U.S. Forest Service in their leadership of firefighting prevention throughout the United States and I encourage your agency to lend their extensive expertise to our Canadian counterparts. My office is ready to support the U.S. Forest Service in their efforts as they continue their work on this issue.
Sincerely,
Kirsten Gillibrand
United States Senator