Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., blasted the Bush administration Tuesday for proposing budget cuts of nearly 15 percent to the U.S. Forest Service at a time when fire prevention is most needed, she said.

The senator, who chairs the Senate appropriations subcommittee on the interior, environment and related agencies, spoke at a hearing on the 2009 budget request for the Forest Service.

"Frankly, I just don't see how anyone could consider this a serious budget proposal," she said.

During her opening remarks, Feinstein touched on a number of items, including Lake Tahoe restoration, the Forest Service budget, firefighting retention issues and drug eradication on public land.

Her comments came two week after a bi-state commission formed after the Angora fire called on the Bush administration to declare a state of emergency for the Lake Tahoe Basin because of the threat of catastrophic fire.

Nearly $8 million in federal money is needed immediately, the commission stated, for fire-fuel reduction efforts in the basin.

"Because the Forest Service manages 20 percent of the land in California, this agency and its budget are incredibly important to my state from an environmental-protection, recreation and public-safety perspective," Feinstein said. "Therefore, any budget proposal that is less than adequate is a real problem for California."

On the surface, the cuts proposed for the Forest Service's $4.1 billion budget amount to 8 percent, or $379 million, from this year's levels. However, there are hidden cuts not taken into consideration, Feinstein told the subcommittee.

"In reality, though, the cuts are much deeper. Factor in the $77 million needed to fund fixed-cost increases and the $148 million increase needed to cover the 10-year fire suppression average, and the Forest Service budget is $600 million less than what is needed just to break even," Feinstein said.

"The bottom line here is that under the administration's proposal, the Forest Service is being cut nearly 15 percent."

According to the senator, the following cuts are planned:

-- Firefighter readiness is cut 12 percent.

-- Hazardous fuels-reduction work is cut 4 percent.

-- Law-enforcement programs are cut 13 percent.

-- Construction and maintenance programs are cut 15 percent.

-- Recreation programs are cut 10 percent.

-- Research programs are cut 8 percent.