WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., on Wednesday introduced a bill to provide more money for wildfire mitigation and prevention.
The Wildfire Mitigation Assistance Act, which Bennet co-sponsored with senators Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Jon Tester, D-Montana and Jim Risch, R-Idaho, would treat wildfires the same as other natural disasters to allow states to receive hazard mitigation assistance funding if they have previously received fire management assistance grants from FEMA.
The FEMA grants are provided to states and local and tribal governments to help fight wildfires that are deemed likely to cause destruction that would constitute “a major disaster.” Requests for such grants must be submitted at the time of the disaster, and cannot be submitted in an effort to prevent future fires.
The bill aims to combat this by allowing states to apply for grants to pay for mitigation efforts that would lessen the risk of future wildfires. Currently, hazard mitigation funding for preventative measures can be granted only if the president declares a major disaster, which most wildfires are not.
It is the second legislation introduced in Congress recently to address wildfires. The Wildfire Budgeting, Operations and Forest Management Act of 2016 was introduced in May and would improve forest management and wildfire budget and mitigation efforts.
The introduction of the assistance act comes in the midst of wildfire season, including the Hayden Pass Fire burning in Fremont County and the Cold Springs Fire that destroyed eight homes near Nederland, west of Boulder. It also comes on the heels of the recent announcement of a partnership between the U.S. Forest Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the American Forest Federation to invest $5 million in wildfire mitigation efforts. The funding sets aside $1 million that will go directly to landowners to strengthen their properties against fires, including many people in Colorado’s Upper South Platte watershed.
“Throughout the West, we have seen an increase in wildfires like the ones burning across Colorado right now that are destroying property and habitats and resulting in the tragic loss of life,” Bennet said in a statement.
“We can dramatically reduce the severity and damage caused by fires through mitigation work. For every dollar we spend on mitigation efforts like reducing fuel loads, there is an average savings of four dollars in recovery spending. Our bill will treat fires like other natural disasters by providing post-fire mitigation funding to affected communities.”
Kate Magill is a student at American University in Washington, D.C., and an intern for The Durango Herald. Reach her at kmagill@durangoherald.com.
