As wildfires flare across the West, Arizona’s congressional leaders are calling once again on the federal government to press forward on an ambitious plan to reduce forest fires in the state.

Sen. Martha McSally (R) and Rep. Tom O’Halleran (D) led a bipartisan group of Arizona’s congressional members to send another request to the U.S. Forest Service to step up the pace on the second phase of a huge RFP. The is part of a public-private partnership called the Fourth Forest Initiative, or , whose goal is to restore 2.4 million acres in Northern Arizona.

McSally has sent similar requests for over a year. 

Forest officials said the delays are due to industry and partners’ requests to amend the RFP nine times to make it more attractive to potential bidders. 

Attracting investment proved challenging in the first, smaller, phase.  

While the changes added delays, they “dramatically improved the request for proposals,” said Jeremy Kruger, CEO of the 4FRI project for the Forest Service.

Time is running out  

There is no more time to waste, McSally and the other congressional members said in a September 25 letter to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. 

“In Arizona this year, there have been more than 1,600 wildfires and more than 700,000 acres burned, which is more land burned than in 2018 and 2019 combined,” they said. “Entire communities, industries, and businesses across the state are waiting on the 4FRI project to move forward.” 

Eight other members are signees: Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D) and Reps. Ann Kirkpatrick (D), Paul Gosar (R), Andy Biggs (R), David Schweikert (R), Ruben Gallego (D), Debbie Lesko (R), and Greg Stanton (D).

“Originally, Phase 2 was going to be awarded in December 2019.  We have learned that the earliest we may see an award is December 2020, but that this could slip into 2021,” they said.

Long term contracts now available for companies 

The RFP is one of the largest – if not the largest – stewardship contract ever for the agency. It’s also the first 20-year contract it has ever offered. 

It calls for awarding contracts to companies to mechanically thin 605,000 to 818,000 acres of forests in Northern Arizona. 

The Forest Service plans to spend $550 million over the next 20 years to work in four national forests: Apache-Sitgreaves, Coconino, Kaibab and Tonto. Business and industry are needed to harvest, process, and sell wood products. 

The RFP will be available to both small and large reforestation businesses and seeks proposals that are “sustainable, innovative, feasible, and cost-effective to increase the pace and the scale of forest restoration.”

Biomass energy companies wanted 

Biomass companies are included in the proposal. These are facilities that can burn woody forest debris – called biomass – and transform it into energy for the electric grid. Biomass energy produces significantly less emissions than traditional burning of debris or fossil fuels.  

As home to the largest contiguous tract of ponderosa pine forest in the world, Arizona is a prime location. But currently, there is only one biomass facility in the state, NovoBio in Snowflake. It’s not nearly enough.  

New bill adds incentives for business 

To help encourage more interest from industry, McSally introduced a bill last month that would free up some of the regulatory barriers and reduce some costs. 

Called the Forest Health and Biomass Energy of 2020, it would advance forest restoration by incentivizing biomass energy development in fire-risk regions. 

“One of the biggest challenges we’ve had in forest restoration in Arizona is the crushing expense of removing low-value biomass like branches, slash, and undergrowth from the forest,” McSally said during a hearing on the bill before the Senate Natural Resources Committee last month. 

The bill includes measures that would:

• Advance forest restoration and fire resilience by incentivizing biomass energy development as a method to reduce hazardous fuel build-up in fire-prone forests
• Direct the federal government to assess the biomass energy fuel potential in U.S. forests with a focus on identifying the most viable sources for energy use such as ladder fuels and by-products of forest restoration including branches, slash and other low-value biomass
• Establish a fund using a percentage of timber sale revenues to assist timber operators and biomass energy producers with the collection, harvesting and transportation of biomass material out of high hazard areas

Reforestation will brings jobs, tax revenue

Since 2010, the Forest Service and the other 4FRI stakeholders have spent more than $220 million in reforestation in the region. Over the past decade 4FRI has treated over 140,000 acres with mechanical treatments designed to restore forest health and reduce the likelihood of severe fires damaging key watersheds.

During the first phase,13,000 acres were thinned out, generating more than $150 million in economic development benefits including $50 million in labor income, Kruger said.

The second phase is expected to create hundreds of new jobs and tax revenue for rural communities in the region, partners in the project said. 

Public-private partnership to restore forests and watershed

The 4FRI project is unique in that it is the first collaborative effort of its kind. The Forest Service, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Arizona Commerce Authority, Arizona Department of Forestry, Salt River Project, and private organizations are working as a team to protect Arizona citizens, structures, natural areas, streams and lakes from high intensity wildfires.

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A measure to allow approved visitors from Mexico to travel throughout Arizona without additional documentation, instead of a mere 25 to 75 miles from the border under current law, is making its way through both houses of the U.S. Congress. 

The bill, called the Southwest Tourism Expansion Act, is receiving substantial support from local governments, tribal nations, economic groups and most of Arizona’s congressional delegation. 

One reason is an estimated $1 billion more expected in spending by tourists from Mexico, Arizona’s top foreign market. Last year, Mexican visitors spent more than $3 billion here. 

“Arizona benefits in so many ways from a strong relationship with Mexico — inviting our Mexican neighbors to explore and invest more across our entire state will strengthen those ties,” said Arizona U.S. Representative Greg Stanton, a key sponsor of the bill who has long advocated for the legislation including as the former mayor of Phoenix. 

Five-year pilot program 

The bill calls for a five-year pilot program to allow Mexican citizens who carry a valid Border Crossing Card (BCC) to travel statewide. 

Currently, card holders are only allowed to travel 75 miles from the border from Arizona’s land ports of entry, taking them about as far as Tucson. Traveling beyond that mile marker requires travelers to apply for additional federal documentation at the port of entry. The I-94 form requires a $6 fee. In the Yuma region, travel is even more restricted, with a 25-mile limit for BCC carrying visitors coming through the San Luis port of entry before the I-94 is required. 

The Act would allow Mexican nationals with a valid BCC card to go to spring training and visit popular spots like Sedona, the Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Monument Valley, not to mention Greater Phoenix and Flagstaff, but without having to secure the I-94.

Especially important right now 

Stanton said the bill is especially important right now when Arizona’s tourism and recreation industries “have taken a catastrophic hit” from the pandemic. The bill would allow for a five-year pilot program to test it out.   

“We need to think ahead and be creative about how we will help those sectors rebuild and reach new audiences. This pilot program is a first step in doing so,” Stanton said. 

Last week, the bill jumped a major hurdle when it was advanced as part of the House’s Fiscal Year 2021 Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill.

Arizona is “open for business” 

Most of Arizona’s congressional delegation are co-sponsors, including Arizona U.S. Senator Martha McSally (R), who introduced the companion bill in the Senate.

“Arizona is open for business and when we allow approved visitors into more areas of our beautiful state, we unleash the potential for greater economic growth, more jobs, and additional sales tax revenue,” Sen. McSally said. 

Widespread support 

The proposal has strong support from state and local governments, economic groups, the Maricopa and the Arizona , which represents 21 tribal nations. 

Mexico top foreign market for Arizona

Mexico is Arizona’s top international market. Last year, Mexican visitors spent more than $3 billion here with 4 million overnight visits, a 5.2 percent increase over 2018, according to the Arizona Office of Tourism.

A University of Arizona study conducted at the request of MAG in 2015 found that expanding the border zone to the entire state could generate up to $181 million in additional spending during the first year. Over the five years, expanded travel for Mexican visitors would generate approximately $905 million.  

Requirements for Border Crossing Card 

• In order to obtain a BCC, applicants must provide fingerprints, photography, employment information, a security background check, and an in‐person interview.
• The BCC is a B‐1/B‐2 visa issued exclusively to Mexican citizens by the U.S. State Department and includes a radio-frequency-identification (RFID) technology chip. 
• Holders of these cards must demonstrate that they have ties to Mexico, including financial, that would compel them to return after a temporary stay in the U.S. 
• Penalties for abusing the visa include revocation of the BCC with a fee, as well as losing the privilege for future visa application.

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Arizona Senators Kyrsten Sinema (D) and Martha McSally (R) teamed up Tuesday to oppose the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency’s (CBP) decision to remove officers from Arizona’s ports of entry.

The CBP’s decision to transfer the personnel out of Arizona ports came after the agency saw its highest total number of daily apprehensions and encounters in over a decade twice in one week.

saw the highest total of apprehensions and encounters in over a decade on Monday, with 4,000 migrants either apprehended or encountered at ports of entry in a single day. Yesterday, that record was broken again—4,117 in a single day.

— CBP (@CBP)

“We understand the challenges that CBP faces with the recent influx of migrants to our border, and we both look forward to working with you to improve border security,” the senators wrote in a letter. “However, reducing port staffing harms security and our economy…Different options must be explored.”

The senators said the decision will harm the state’s ability to while significantly increasing port of entry wait times and encouraging illegal goods to enter the country.

“The cross-border commerce is so important for Arizona’s economy. We’ve got about 200,000 jobs that are related to cross-border commerce,” McSally said after a roundtable with CBP Monday morning. “It’s my view that we’ve got to keep the legitimate trade and travel and cross-border commerce , but we also need to secure our border and address this crisis.”

released earlier this month shows that Arizona’s trade with Mexico was more than $16 billion in 2018, a 7.7 percent increase from the previous year. The long wait times are expected to have a negative impact on the import of produce and other goods.

The senators also expressed concern with how the CBP’s decision would affect the safety of the country, as CBP officers at the ports help prevent narcotics and other illegal goods from entering the country.

Last year, 86 percent of hard narcotics seized by CBP were seized at ports of entry. In the Southwest, it was 82 percent.

The CBP’s announcement also comes amid President Donald Trump’s threat to shut down the U.S.-Mexico border altogether.

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