Letter to Hon. Thomas J. Vilsack, Secretary of the US Department of Agriculture; Hon. Debra Haaland, Secretary of the US Department of the Interior- Rosendale Seeks Answers From Secretaries Haaland and Vilsack on Wildfire Mitigation Duties

Letter

Dear Secretary Vilsack and Secretary Haaland:
We write to you in your capacity as co-chairs of the Wildland Fire Subcabinet, created by
President Donald J. Trump in Executive Order 13976 of Jan 14, 2021, "Establishing the
Wildland Fire Management Policy Committee."1 As this devastating wildfire season has
demonstrated, the efforts of the Wildland Fire Subcabinet are more important than ever.
The purpose of the Wildland Fire Subcabinet is to provide "a single focal point of responsibility
for policy leadership and accountability for cost controls" for Federal wildland fire management.
Per Executive Order 13976, the Wildland Fire Subcabinet is required to meet quarterly. It is our
understanding that no such meetings have occurred in the first three quarters of this year.
The order established an April 14, 2021 deadline for the Wildland Fire Subcabinet to "identify
all such Federal interagency working groups and provide recommendations to the Secretary of
the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Director of the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) on coordinating and consolidating these Federal interagency working groups."
Moreover, the order established a July 13, 2021 deadline for the Wildlife Fire Subcabinet to
"develop, publish, and implement a strategic plan addressing the issues described in this section
[and] develop specific measurable goals, performance targets, and dashboard reporting for
consideration by each Federal agency represented on the Wildland Fire Subcabinet, using
common data standards at the wildfire and hazardous fuels program level."
We would like to request the following information by November 4, 2021:
- Have any official meetings of the Wildland Fire Subcabinet occurred? If so, when did
they occur and who was in attendance?
- If any meetings of the Wildland Fire Subcabinet have occurred, please provide meeting
minutes or notes from the meetings.
- Are there any planned meetings of the Wildland Fire Subcabinet for the remainder of
the calendar year? If so, when will they be occurring?
- Please share the Wildland Fire Subcabinet's recommendations, which are required by
Section 4 of Executive Order 13976 to be completed not later than April 14, 2021.
- Please share the Wildland Fire Subcabinet's strategic plan, which is required by Section
5 of Executive Order 13976 to be completed not later than July 13, 2021.
- Will the Wildland Fire Subcabinet be providing an annual update to the relevant parties
on the status of the strategic plan and the specific actions identified in this order, as
required by Section 6 of Executive Order 13976?
The magnitude of the wildfire crisis afflicting our western states requires a highly coordinated
federal strategy. We urge you to convene the Wildland Fire Subcabinet, fulfill your obligations
under Executive Order 13976, and develop and implement a strategic plan to address the wildfire
crisis.
We hope that you take your responsibility as co-chairs of the Wildland Fire Subcabinet seriously
and look forward to hearing from you on this matter.