Lawmakers Visit Bastrop, Consider Future Measures
Last year's wildfires burned a big part of Bastrop County and elsewhere in the state. Photo by KUT NewsThe state House Agriculture and Livestock Committee met in Bastrop today to talk about last year’s wildfires and what, if anything, can be done to help prevent similar fires.
Tom Boggus, the Texas Forest Service director, told the committee much was made of how state budget cuts affected the way firefighters battled the record-setting blazes. But he says his agency was able to fight the fires well enough even with the cuts.
That doesn’t mean he won’t be asking for more money in the 2013 legislative session.
“I’m going to come asking for that back, because I know how effective it is,” Boggus said. “I can tell you and show you how effective it is. So yeah, I’m going to come say, would you please reinstate that grants program to the volunteers. That’s my number one priority.”
Boggus told lawmakers wildfires are a problem for everyone in the state, even those that mostly affect rural areas. He said 80 percent of last year’s fires were within two miles of a city or town.
