Feds: Most of $18M owed for California firefighting repaid
LOS ANGELES — The U.S. Forest Service repaid most of the $18 million that a California official said it owed the state for fighting fires last year in national forests, a spokesman said Monday.
About $14 million was paid to local governments by the end of June and the Forest Service was trying to resolve differences over the remaining sum, which included administrative costs that may not be reimbursable, Paul Wade said.
California Emergency Services Director Mark Ghilarducci sent a sharply worded letter to the forest chief last week saying the federal government had lagged in repaying firefighters on time and that the state might stop responding to fires in national forests.
Wade said he was surprised by the letter because he was told officials met in late June to resolve the dispute.