- June 3, 2024
Kelly, Sinema Announce Nearly $7 Million from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to Strengthen Arizona’s Wildfire Prevention and Mitigation Efforts
Bipartisan infrastructure law led by Sinema and shaped by Kelly provides a total of $6,898,361 to help communities across Arizona better prepare for and mitigate wildfire risks
A total of $6,898,361 will be invested in strengthening Arizona’s wildfire response from the bipartisan infrastructure law led by Senator Kyrsten Sinema and shaped by Senator Mark Kelly.
The funding was awarded to six Arizona entities through the Community Wildfire Defense Grant program, made possible by Kelly and Sinema’s bipartisan infrastructure law.
“Our bipartisan infrastructure law is strengthening Arizona communities’ response to wildfire threats,” said Kelly. “This will make a real difference in the lives of Arizonans by ensuring they have the tools to face and manage wildfire risks.”
“Through my bipartisan infrastructure law, we’re investing more than $6.8 million to strengthen Arizona’s wildfire response – keeping communities and loved ones safe from increasingly dangerous fires,” said Sinema.
Below is a breakdown of the investments Kelly and Sinema secured:
| Recipient | Project Description | Award Amount |
| Tucson Audubon Society | $2,364,129 | Patagonia Roadside Hazardous Fuels Management: Assist the community of Patagonia, AZ, with reducing the hazardous fuel load by removing woody vegetation, mowing and brush cutting, and strategic chemical application to increase chances of success and reduce opportunities for the spread of wildfires. |
| Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management | $3,721,072 | Hualapai Mountain Community Wildfire Protection: Continue hazardous fuels mitigation projects to improve defensible space throughout several communities, create shaded fuel breaks, and extend fuels reduction into private and public lands. The project will also conduct vegetation management for rights-of-ways and roads to improve evacuation routes. |
| Greater Flagstaff Forests Partnership Inc. | $250,000 | Community Wildfire Protection Plan for Coconino County: Develop a CWPP which will include 10 fire districts and six tribal communities in Coconino County to reduce their wildfire risk and build resiliency to the impacts of wildfires. |
| City of Flagstaff | $250,000 | Greater Flagstaff Region Community Wildfire Protection Plan Update: Facilitate an update to the Greater Flagstaff Region CWPP. |
| Cochise County Emergency Management | $135,000 | Cochise County Community Wildfire Protection Plan Rewrite: Update the Cochise County CWPP. |
| Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management | $178,160 | Santa Cruz County Community Wildfire Protection Plan: Develop a CWPP for Santa Cruz County. |
| TOTAL: | $6,898,361 |
Sinema led bipartisan Senate negotiations with Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio that included Kelly and senators from both parties. The bipartisan infrastructure law was supported by groups including The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable, The National Association of Manufacturers, The AFL-CIO, The National Retail Federation, The Bipartisan Policy Center, North America’s Building Trades Unions, the Outdoor Industry Association, The American Hotel and Lodging Association, The National Education Association, as well as hundreds of mayors across all 50 states.
