Gavin Newsom on Friday publicly asked President Biden to ensure California can continue to access the Pentagon’s sensitive military satellite information as part of a program to help spot and track wildfires. The two-year-old program, called FireGuard, relies on access to the military’s infrared satellites that regularly scan the U.S. skies for enemy missiles. The satellite images are shared with firefighters, who can use them to make on-the-ground decisions about evacuations and controlling blazes. Under an existing military agreement regarding the classified information, access to the satellite information is due to expire Sept. 30. Every year, we fight to get a one-year extension on that access to a critical tool of technology,” Newsom told Biden during a virtual meeting between administration officials and governors of wildfire-prone states.

Source: Los Angeles Times July 30, 2021 21:00 UTC