Heinrich Statement on Final Regulations for Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon Fire Assistance Act
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) issued the following statement after FEMA published the final regulations for the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire Assistance Act:
“The Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses. It displaced thousands of New Mexicans for weeks and months on end. And in an instant, wiped away generations of history and uprooted families from their communities.
“This announcement is a critical and necessary step in the fight to ensure those impacted by the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire are made whole again. It provides final clarity on how those impacted by the worst fire in our state’s history can receive the compensation they need to rebuild, and I encourage New Mexicans to continue working with the Claims Office to receive this relief.”
“But we also know that this action was long overdue. It’s why I wrote to FEMA in May with my colleagues in the New Mexico Congressional Delegation to finalize these regulations, and it’s why I have continued to press state and federal officials to get relief that we secured in Congress out the door immediately.
“I will leave no stone unturned in making sure that New Mexico families and communities make a full recovery, and that we restore the health of the forests and watersheds that these communities rely on.”
Background:
Senator Heinrich has worked tirelessly to ensure the victims of the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire are made whole again.
In May, Heinrich joined Senator Ben Ray Luján and Representative Teresa Leger Fernández in sending a letter to DHS Secretary Mayorkas and FEMA Administrator Criswell expressing concern over the prolonged delay in finalizing the regulations for the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire Claims Office.
Heinrich, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, secured funding in the Omnibus Appropriations Agreement for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) to support critical U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) emergency disaster programs. Heinrich also garnered additional support from U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Shalanda Young, who included these programs in OMB’s disaster supplemental request.
In a bipartisan letter last year, Heinrich called on then Senate Appropriations Chair Patrick Leahy and Ranking Member Richard Shelby to prioritize supplemental funding for the Emergency Watershed Protection Program and the Emergency Forest Restoration Program at levels that meet USDA estimates. The New Mexico delegation successfully increased funding for these important programs.
While the fires were ongoing, the Congressional delegation secured 100 percent coverage of the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program. Senator Heinrich requested that USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack take this action during a key Senate Appropriations Committee hearing in May 2022.
Following the devastating Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire in April 2022, New Mexico’s Congressional Democrats secured $3.95 billion to help New Mexicans recover and rebuild. The funding established the Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon Fire Claim’s Office at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
