The $15 million includes $9.3 million for the Spokane Conservation District to “mitigate increasing wildfire risks in [Spokane] county and $5.5 million for the Spokane Valley Fire Department “to significantly reduce wildfire risks in Spokane Valley,” according to USDA.
“This work helps tame wildfire as it moves from the wildland into urban and residential areas,” Spokane Valley Fire Department Deputy Chief Brett Anderson said in an email Thursday.
The grants come from the $1 billion Community Wildfire Defense program created in 2022 by President Joe Biden through his massive bipartisan infrastructure law enacted in 2021. The Forest Service awards $200 million a year to the top applicants. The $15 million was part of the third year of funding.
But before releasing the latest funding, USDA rolled out a series of new terms and conditions for states to receive grant funds. They require states to comply with Trump administration priorities such as its massive deportation effort and elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
After 20 Democratic-led states including Washington sued to overturn the policy, a federal judge blocked it in June, leading agencies to sign grant agreements that will let funds begin flowing. USDA and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources said the wildfire grants were signed in July. It is unclear when money will be released.
Washington declined to sign the policy attached to USDA grants because it conflicts with state laws including a restriction on state involvement with immigration enforcement activities.
Environmental advocates criticized the administration for trying to require USDA recipients to follow its directives on issues unrelated to the funding.
“That idea that funding to mitigate catastrophic wildfires would be subject to shifting federal government priorities is really dangerous,” Brittany Fallon, a policy manager at Western Resource Advocates environmental group, said Thursday.
