Inform, Entertain, Inspire
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
WVPE is your gateway to green and sustainable resources in Michiana. Sustainability is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This is accomplished by finding a balance between businesses, the environment, and our society (people, planet, and profit).State, National and International resources on sustainability include:The Environmental Protection AgencyThe Natural StepSustainability Dictionary45 Sustainability Resources You Need to Know Explore ways to support sustainability in the Michiana area through the Green Links Directory.Sept. 17, 2019 from 2-3:30pm"Global Warming: A Hot Topic"Sept. 17, 19, 24, and 26All sessions are from 2-3:30pmGreencroft Goshen Community Center in the Jennings Auditorium1820 Greencroft Blvd.Goshen, IN 46526The event will look at possible solutions and suffering as well as consequences beyond warmer weather. The event will examine what other civilizations have or haven’t done when faced with environmental problems. Plus there will be an exploration of the biggest unknown in the climate system: What will the humans do? Paul Meyer Reimer teaches physics, math and climate change at Goshen College. The events are presented by the Lifelong Learning Institute. The Institute can be reached at: (574) 536-8244lifelonglearning@live.comhttp://life-learn.org/

California Firefighting Agency Requests Another $234 Million For 2018

Firefighters work on the Ranch Fire, part of the Mendocino Complex Fire on Aug. 7. On Thursday Cal Fire asked state lawmakers for an additional $234 million in funding to continue battling wildfires through the end of the year.
Noah Berger
/
AP
Firefighters work on the Ranch Fire, part of the Mendocino Complex Fire on Aug. 7. On Thursday Cal Fire asked state lawmakers for an additional $234 million in funding to continue battling wildfires through the end of the year.

As fall — usually California's busiest fire season — approaches, officials say the agency that oversees emergency fire responses is running out of money.

Cal Fire's director, Ken Pimlott, asked lawmakers for an additional $234 million to be made available as soon as possible, in a letter to state lawmakers on Thursday.

He wrote that fires caused by "climate change driven extreme weather conditions" have triggered massive spending across the state.

As a result of the record-breaking "intense and large" wildfires in July and August, including the Carr Fire's deadly tornado of flame, Pimlott said less than $11 million of the agency's 2018 $442.8 million budget remains.

Additionally, he noted, more resources have been deployed to several new blazes in recent days, including the Sliger Fire in El Dorado County, which by Thursday that had consumed 104 acres and was at 45 percent containment. Cal Fire continues to battle the Ranch Fire, which has ravaged 410,203 acres — an area larger than Los Angeles — and is 98 percent contained. It is one of the two parts of the Mendocino Complex Fire that grew to become the state'slargest recorded wildfire in history.

The additional funding would "ensure sufficient authority exists to respond to wildfire activity that occurs between September and November," Pimlott explained. Over the last five years, the agency has spent an average of $156 million during those months. The remaining $78 million would be used to buy additional helicopters and o hire more firefighters.

The AP reported that Cal Fire has requested additional funding in seven of the past 10 years. But it is first time the appeal has been made so early in the year.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Tags
Vanessa Romo is a reporter for NPR's News Desk. She covers breaking news on a wide range of topics, weighing in daily on everything from immigration and the treatment of migrant children, to a war-crimes trial where a witness claimed he was the actual killer, to an alleged sex cult. She has also covered the occasional cat-clinging-to-the-hood-of-a-car story.