DeFazio Says Fire Money is Coming
Representative Peter De Fazio was in town yesterday as he continues his town hall tour of his district. He spoke with Coast Radio News about the climate in Washington especially as it pertains to the state of wildfire management and how the federal government perceives wildfires. DeFazio says wildfires don’t get the same priority as hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes when it comes to disaster relief.
“Why are they natural disasters and why are they paid for by fema? Why does the forest service and the BLM have to pay the whole bill for firefighting? It doesn’t make sense. And it’s beyond their capability particulary with the large, growing intensity of fires.”
Defazio said this year they made inroads towards federal disaster relief but it will not take effect until next year. At that time forest fires will be declared federal disasters and can receive additional money after the forest service uses its dedicated funds for firefighting.
Free Fishing, Crabbing and Clamming
This weekend the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is opening up fishing, clamming, and crabbing for the general public. This Saturday and Sunday no fishing licenses or tags (including a Combined Angling Tag or Columbia River Basin Endorsement) are required to fish, crab or clam anywhere in Oregon for both residents and non-residents. Although no licenses or tags are required, all other fishing regulations apply including closures, bag limits and size restrictions. ODFW also announced that it will be stocking lakes around the state for trout fishing, but no lakes in the western Lane County region are slated for stocking.
Gas Prices Dip
Gas prices in Florence continue to stay below the national average and even decrease a bit as prices around the nation stay flat. The average price of a gallon of regular gas in Florence is down another 2 cents at $2.92 a gallon. Marie Dodds with AAA Oregon says that with the approaching holiday we could see a slight increase as the roads promise to be filled with travelers and last minute vacationers. Dodds says this holiday will be the most expensive for fuel since 2014. Dodds says this is usually the last big travel weekend until thanksgiving with families preparing for the return to school for many next week.