💨 Abstract

The Trump administration is proposing to consolidate the U.S. wildland firefighting efforts into a single agency under the Interior Department, merging five agencies and two Cabinet departments. Critics warn this could increase the risk of catastrophic blazes and be costly, especially during the ongoing fire season. The move follows significant cuts to firefighting personnel and budgets, amid a worsening fire season exacerbated by climate change. The new agency aims to streamline firefighting operations, but experts fear it may disrupt preventive measures like forest thinning.

Courtesy: wtop.com