Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) announced that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is awarding $12 million to fund sagebrush restoration and wildfire fuels reduction in the Montana Mountains in Humboldt County and the Upper Humboldt/O’Neil basin in Elko County. These grants are funded through the Inflation Reduction Act and will leverage additional funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, both of which Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen helped pass into law.
“Nevada’s sagebrush ecosystems are a vital part of the Silver State, and these grants I helped deliver will protect critical habit while reducing the risk of devastating wildfires,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “I’ll continue to work with the Bureau of Land Management and our local communities to make sure that vital conservation and wildfire prevention funding is delivering real results for Nevada.”
“Sagebrush ecosystem restoration is vital to preserving Nevada’s beautiful public lands, supporting wildlife, and protecting against the threat of wildland fires,” said Senator Rosen. “Thanks to this funding I helped secure, communities across Northern Nevada will be better protected from wildfires.”
Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen have been champions for Nevada’s great outdoor spaces. As part of the Great American Outdoors Act, they secured permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen have helped deliver pay increases for wildland firefighters in Nevada and led efforts to secure billions to support wildfire risk reduction, including $8 billion for wildfire prevention, suppression, and restoration activities and $10 million for wildfire detection equipment. Senator Cortez Masto has also introduced the Western Wildfire Support Act, which would allow communities to invest in training, equipment, and funding to combat wild and rangeland fires. Last year, Senator Rosen led a bipartisan letter, joined by Senator Cortez Masto, which successfully secured tens of millions of dollars through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support sagebrush and other western ecosystem restoration. Senator Rosen has introduced bipartisan legislation to establish a new federal program to improve wildfire forecasting and detection.
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