WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) told FEMA Administrator W. Craig Fugate in a letter that Deschutes County should be commended for being careful with taxpayer dollars, instead of being punished for outside-the-box thinking.
“Because of the economic downturn, small businesses and families nationwide are finding ways to stretch their dollars further than ever before,” Rep. Walden wrote. “Taxpayers should expect the same kind of commitment from their government, be it on the local, state, or federal level.”
FEMA awarded Deschutes County with $6.7 million in federal grants in 2007 and 2008 to treat the region’s non-federal forests. To conserve taxpayer resources while treating as many acres as possible, the county allowed private landowners to clear their own private lots of fire-prone forest material and deposit the debris in communal drop spots. Rather than traveling to a far greater number of individual lots, county subcontractors were able to remove the debris from the communal drop spots. The costs savings allowed the county to treat more than 5,000 acres.
“Since receiving the funding, the county has submitted quarterly progress reports to FEMA outlining their strategies and progress. At no point for more than two years did FEMA object to the county’s work,” Rep. Walden wrote.
“Yet, all of a sudden in September 2010, FEMA informed the county that it would seek reimbursement for work ‘completed outside the project area.’ FEMA took the position that the private lots were not subject to proper environmental review before treatment. Deschutes County, however, documented the environmental review prior to receiving the grants. In fact, FEMA even referenced these lands in the county’s environmental review in its own Environmental Assessment,” Rep. Walden wrote.
“Another environmental review on the same land would only be duplicative, time-consuming, and ultimately a waste of taxpayer dollars,” Rep. Walden wrote.
“The county should be commended for being careful with the public’s hard-earned money; instead your agency is seeking to punish them for outside-the-box thinking. This is exactly the kind of bureaucratic thinking that makes taxpayers lose faith in their government agencies,” Rep. Walden wrote.
Deschutes County Commissioner Tammy Baney will meet with FEMA officials in the nation’s capital tomorrow. In the letter, Rep. Walden strongly encouraged FEMA staff to work with Commissioner Baney to seek a swift resolution that doesn’t require the county to reimburse FEMA.
The full text of the letter is below:
January 6, 2012
Administrator W. Craig Fugate
Federal Emergency Management Agency
500 C Street S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20472
Dear Administrator Fugate,
Because of the economic downturn, small businesses and families nationwide are finding ways to stretch their dollars further than ever before. Taxpayers should expect the same kind of commitment from their government, be it on the local, state, or federal level.
In 2007 and 2008, FEMA awarded Deschutes County with “pre-disaster mitigation grants” totaling $6.7 million to help treat the region’s chronically unhealthy and overstocked non-federal forests.
Deschutes County found a creative way to conserve taxpayer resources and treat as many acres as possible with the grant awarded to them. They allowed private landowners to clear their own private lots of fire-prone forest material and deposit the debris at geographically convenient drop spots. County subcontractors then removed the debris from a limited number of communal drop spots — rather than traveling to a far greater number of individual lots. The cost savings was tremendous, and allowed the county to treat more than 5,000 acres.
Since receiving the funding, the county has submitted quarterly progress reports to FEMA outlining their strategies and progress. At no point for more than two years did FEMA object to the county’s work.
Yet, all of a sudden in September 2010, FEMA informed the county that it would seek reimbursement for work “completed outside the project area.” FEMA took the position that the private lots were not subject to proper environmental review before treatment. Deschutes County, however, documented the environmental review prior to receiving the grants. In fact, FEMA even referenced these lands in the county’s environmental review in its own Environmental Assessment. Another environmental review on the same land would only be duplicative, time-consuming, and ultimately a waste of taxpayer dollars.
The county should be commended for being careful with the public’s hard-earned money; instead your agency is seeking to punish them for outside-the-box thinking. This is exactly the kind of bureaucratic thinking that makes taxpayers lose faith in their government agencies.
Deschutes County Commissioner Tammy Baney is traveling to Washington, D.C. next week where she will meet with some of your staff to hopefully resolve this situation. I strongly encourage your staff to work with Commissioner Baney and seek a swift resolution that doesn’t require Deschutes County to reimburse FEMA.
Sincerely,
Greg Walden
Member of Congress
