Plenty of GOP earmarks in spending bill
- Posted
By Joseph Morton
July 1, 2021
Read the full article on Roll Call
“Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif., has a $500,000 earmark in the bill for the Yorba Linda Water District to build at least one new “heli-hydrant,” a new system that allows helicopters fighting wildfires to quickly fill their water tanks. That allows them to dump more water on a fire faster, compared to filling their tanks from nearby lakes.
The district’s existing hydrant was used to battle last year’s Blue Ridge fire that scorched thousands of acres and damaged a number of homes.
“It turned out to be a game changer in the Blue Ridge fire,” said water district spokeswoman Alison Martin. “It was used to put out a lot of fires in the Chino Hills State Park.”
She said a second hydrant under construction is expected to be operational at the end of July. The earmarked funds would be used for a third one and potentially a fourth if there is money left over.”