WASHINGTON Democrats are proposing a potentially seismic shift in how the nation battles wildfires by dramatically increasing funding for efforts that aim to prevent blazes, rather than focusing on the tools to put them out.
A climate bill that is being negotiated in the U.S. Senate would dedicate $14 billion over the next decade to clearing vegetation and debris to prevent wildfires. More than 7 million acres burned in California in the last two years alone.
Democrats are proposing a potentially seismic shift in how the nation battles wildfires by dramatically increasing funding for efforts that aim to prevent blazes, rather than focusing on the tools to put them out.
Under the social safety-net and climate bill passed by the House and now being negotia