Confronting Wildfires, Biden Increases Firefighter Pay And Climate Spending
June 30, 2021
By Jarrett Renshaw and Steve Holland (Reuters) - President Joe Biden announced pay raises for federal firefighters on Wednesday and said the United States was behind in its preparations for a potential record number of forest fires this year because of drought and high temperatures. Biden's remarks at a virtual meeting with governors of western states sought to show the White House is treating wildfires - which have grown by at least 100 incidents each year since 2015 - are no less a national emergency than hurricanes. As climate change makes regions like the U.S. western states more arid,...