Biden Says Feds to Cover 100% of New Mexico Wildfire Response Costs After Feds Incompetence Contributed To Blaze
Biden was forced to deal with the anger and frustration of local responders to the results of the US Forest Service’s actions that led to the historic blaze.
Legal Insurrection readers may recall that U.S. Forest Service investigators determined the Calf Canyon Fire, which devastated large swaths of New Mexico, was caused by a “burn pile” of branches that the agency thought was out but reignited on April 19.
Now Biden said that the federal government would cover the total cost of the wildfire response in New Mexico following requests from the state’s governor and other lawmakers. He acknowledged the role the Forest Service played in starting the blaze.
“I think we have a responsibility as a government to deal with the communities who are put in such jeopardy. And today I am announcing that the federal government is covering 100% of the cost,” Biden said to applause in Santa Fe.
The fire, which is at over 300,000 scorched acres, is the largest wildfire ever in the state. Additionally, the Black Fire continues to burn in New Mexico and is the second-largest fire in state history, with more than 298,000 acres burned — meaning the two largest fires in state history have occurred in this record-paced wildfire year and are still burning.
During his first visit to the state, Biden flew over the perimeter of the largest wildfire in New Mexico.
“We have a responsibility to help this state recover, to help the families who have been here for centuries in the beautiful northern New Mexico villages who can’t go home and whose livelihoods have been fundamentally changed,” Biden said after arriving in Santa Fe.
It was his first visit to New Mexico as president.
Biden — speaking to emergency officials, state legislators and others in Santa Fe — said Air Force One flew over the perimeter of the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire before touching down.
advertisementParts of the wilderness, he said, looked like a “moonscape.”
Biden was forced to deal with the anger and frustration of local responders to the results of the Forest Service’s actions.
“Our citizens are tired, angry, and afraid of the future they are facing,” said David Dye, New Mexico secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
The fire forced thousands of residents to evacuate Indo-Hispano farming villages with twice the national poverty rate. The blaze has upended these fragile economies where residents cut firewood and raise hay to get by.
“This is not a natural disaster, this was man-made by a government entity,” said Ella Arellano, whose family lost hundreds of acres of forest around the village of Holman. “It’s a mess, just a big mess that will take generations to recover from.”
Biden faces fury over New Mexico wildfire sparked by government https://t.co/LYWXQcIwF2 pic.twitter.com/vCQDN5bER1
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 11, 2022
Not everyone is impressed with the response.
So will he blame the pandemic, Trump, or Putin for the fires?
— Volks (@cvolks83) June 11, 2022
Will you be discussing how to increase oil production in New Mexico or how to secure our border?
— Mary (@mbskow) June 11, 2022
Correction American tax payers will cover the cost
— Christine Hernandez (@rainydaysnm) June 12, 2022
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Comments
Not just an error in judging the fires were extinguished but also in failure to follow basic forest management practices to thin the trees and remove the slash. NM had a huge build of ladder fuels over the years as the best practices of stewardship were ignored in favor of the ideological fantasies of the environmental lobby.
It’s a simple choice, either proactively manage the forests or leave them in a more or less wilderness state. Leaving them alone may sound good until one understands that huge forrest fires are part of the equation for a wilderness state. The halfway measures adopted to appease the environmental lobby do not work as can be seen here.
Also thinking of the California Paradise fire. Instead of fires that cause little impact, the environmental lobby winds up with fires that kill trees and set in motion loss of habitat and financial ruin.
Mr. President, “How to we handle the cost of this forest damage?”
Answer: “The Biden way – Trees’ on us.”
Biden continues: “Which is the same way we handled the war in Ukraine—hose it down with money.”
After a minute: “And if that don’t work we’ll pass a common sense bill to control matches and lighters.”
“and, outlaw lightning strikes.”
Brandon has to find a way to say that Climate Change was a major factor. That is just doctrine.
Global warming affected the US Forest Service inspectors’ judgment. Who is to say whether a “burn pile” has been extinguished or is still burning? It all looks the same these days. Add to that the requirements to conserve water and that nobody speaks English. Too many variables to coordinates.
Or maybe it was racism.
The US Forest Service screwed up…again…I am completely unsurprised.
They are just doing to the New Mexico what the rest of the Biden regime is doing to country; setting it on fire, economically.
And today I am announcing that the federal government is covering 100% of the cost,” Biden said to applause in Santa Fe.
Perhaps I’m being too dense about this but could someone please explain to me where exactly the Biden regime is going to get all of this money to pay “100% of the cost” of the U.S. Forest Service’s incompetence?
Us
It’s a safely blue state, so the Democrats’ response is, let’s shovel federal money at it. If they had done exactly the same thing in Wyoming or Texas, you bet your bippy Washington wouldn’t be anteing up.
The feds own thirty two % of NM and forty seven % of Wyoming; not typos those are the actual numbers. In TX the feds own less than 2%, so they have less opportunities to screw up. Thankfully the feds own less than three % of Bama.
Us
No really, “Us” has already given our annual financial sacrifice to the Gods of the Eternal Revenue Service and don’t have anything left to give due to 9% inflation and the cost of living spiraling out of control. So where is the Biden regime going to dig up the money for this
bribereimbursement for their incompetence.There’s a copypasta for the sound made by a BOE printing press, but I don’t remember it.
We provide solutions to problems we create. Yes, we can, we do, we profit.
They waited too long to burn it, is all. It would have burned anyway.
But, but, government employees with decades of experience are EXPERTS!!! At least that’s what the news says about the CDC, FDA, and Fauci. They are fallible as anyone else which means their opinion is as worthless as anyone else’s.
Remember the EPA and the Animas River?
Are these the “experts” that the WaPo, NYTimes etc. constantly quote?
I do remember the Animas River fiasco. I don’t remember that anyone in the EPA actually took responsibility for it, much less POTUS. If anyone can disabuse me of this notion, please do.
Oregon Mike
OT but looks like the townhall/salem sites only allowing comments from people that will pay money each each year just to use a commenting system thats broken and inconsistently mooderated.
course before they did this they dumped their volunteer moderators last year,
https://twitter.com/DMacleoMaine/status/1536432946365841408
screw them, I’ll ignore them like I did in past when Erick Erickson and the like were in the lime light. from 2008 to 2015 redstate lost a ton of traffic, they regained it over last 3 years. now they do this.
enjoy the traffic drop dumbasses.
Obviously the guy that didn’t notice that the fire wasn’t out was hired by the Trump administration.
You can’t let any bad event go unused in your insane attempt to retain power.
More inflation thanks to totally incompetent Demoncrats! Freebies for anybody when Demoncrats screw up. Persecution and prison for anybody else.
Why not 200%? It’s not his money … Hell, maybe %400 will get the dems some more mid-term votes!
How about holding those in charge financially and criminally RESPONSIBLE for the liabilities of the catastrophe? Including Biden and all the way down. Having them serve sentences or 100% of the law …
COMMON SENSE has to be a KEY for the next R Administration! Simply declare that we will no longer participate nor fund nor legislate based on globull worming, social justice, environment justice, or hatred of fossil fuels. We will operate on a COMMON SENSE basis that has shown over the years to be effective, safe, and HELPFUL! Proper forestry management would result in fewer massive fires and a more plentiful supply of wood products – everyone benefits – except for the tree hugging libers! Laws will be enforced regardless of race or sex! PERIOD!! We will EXPAND our fossil fuel programs to ensure a strong industrial base to provide good jobs for AMERICAN CITIZENS and economical fuels to move our economy!
It’s not Biden’s money, so he doesn’t care. Just have Treasury run the printing presses for another minute-and-a-half, and it’s all good.
Contributed? That’s a convenient euphemism for “Caused”. Without the incompetence of the federal government there would have been no wildfire.