NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) will receive the federal share of nearly $143 million in two grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for reimbursement of costs for the Butte and Valley wildfires that occurred between Sept. 9 and Oct. 30, 2015, in California.

These awards provide federal funding for CalRecycle for the Public Assistance (PA) program for FEMA-DR-4240-CA, the Butte and Valley fires disaster.

This funding is being provided under authority of Section 407 of the Robert T. Stafford Act. The two grants include:

• $84,899,091 in private property debris removal for the Butte Fire in Calaveras County. The Federal share is $63,674,318.25.

• $57,770,898 in private property debris removal for the Valley Fire in Lake County. The Federal share is $43,328,173.50.

FEMA reimburses 75 percent of the total costs through its PA program. The state of California will cover the remaining 25 percent of the nearly $143 million total cost.

FEMA’s PA program includes grants for the repair and rebuilding of public infrastructure, such as bridges, roads, schools, hospitals and sewer treatment facilities.

The program also provides reimbursement for eligible debris removal and emergency protective measures, such as search and rescue operations, temporary roads and overtime for emergency workers, police and firefighters.

Eligible applicants include state and local governments, tribal governments and certain private nonprofits. FEMA obligates funding for these projects directly to the state.

It is the state's responsibility to ensure that the eligible sub-recipients receive these awards. Following the state's review process and upon receipt of appropriate documentation, they will provide funds to the sub-recipients on a reimbursable basis.