MISSOULA- Western Montana had a special visitor from Washington, D.C. on Wednesday — Deputy Secretary of the Interior Tommy Beaudreau.
Deputy Secretary Beaudreau announced a $185 million investment from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support wildland fire management nationwide for 2023 and 2024.
The funding will support special pay supplements and training opportunities for federal wildland firefighters and will advance collaborative fuels management and burned area rehabilitation activities.
The investments build on $278 million already allocated in the fiscal year 2023 funding for wildland fire management, which was announced in December 2022.
This funding is part of President Biden's "Investing in America" agenda.
Deputy Secretary Beaudreau made the announcement within the Blackfoot - Clark Fork Restoration Landscape with several different partners in attendance.
Overall, Montana is receiving $8.4 million in funding for wildland fire management in fiscal year 2023.
The Department of Interior is investing $1.5 billion over five years from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to better support the federal wildland firefighting workforce and increase the resilience of communities and lands facing the threat of wildfires.
