Michael Boren, who oversees the US Forest Service.
“The personal interests of political employees should not be a factor that influences the allocation of wildfire resources,” the senators said in their letter. The USDA said it would respond to the senators’ request through the “proper channels”.
The Trump administration is facing calls for an investigation into allegations that a senior US Forest Service official sought additional firefighting resources for a blaze near his private ranch in Idaho, according to a report by The Guardian. Several current and former Forest Service officials said Boren contacted agency staff multiple times in July to question why more aircraft were not being deployed to fight the Cabin Creek Fire, according to the Washington Post. In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, the senators called for a full investigation into Boren’s alleged involvement.
The fire began on July 12 after an unattended campfire and was fully contained by July 15 after burning about seven acres. They said Boren’s reported actions could amount to a misuse of taxpayer funds and potentially divert resources from higher-priority fires threatening communities elsewhere.
Officials cited by the Washington Post said the response appeared to involve more resources than would normally be expected for a fire of that size, which did not pose a significant threat to lives or property. The Democratic senators said fires that were considerably larger during the record-setting wildfire season had received a much smaller share of firefighting resources.