DENVER – Gov. John Hickenlooper is cautious about spending $10 million on a new technology that would assist with predicting the direction and intensity of wildfires and floods.
While meeting with reporters Wednesday, Hickenlooper said he would not want the state to spend money on a “fool’s errand.”
“In my experience, the ability to predict weather conditions and the types of information you need to predict fires accurately enough to be able to be really useful is very difficult,” Hickenlooper said. “One thing I would hate to do is commit $10 million to a fool’s errand.”
His statement surprised bill sponsors, including Republican Sen. Ellen Roberts of Durango, who is still searching for the money necessary to pass the measure that would implement what is being called “revolutionary” technology.
An upcoming state revenue forecast will better guide whether money is available for the program.
Boulder-based scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research have been working on the technology for 20 years, suggesting that it is finally ready for implementation. Colorado would become the first state to pioneer the resource.
It uses advanced weather forecasting to recognize that disasters unfold as they relate to the atmosphere. Hundreds of thousands of atmospheric data points allow users of the system to predict the direction, speed and intensity of fires and floods, with up to 12 hours notice – a system that supporters say could save lives and property.
House Bill 1129 would create a five-year, $10 million program to begin implementing the technology.
Roberts pointed out that the system is supported by Paul Cooke, director of the Division of Fire Protection and Control. The bill also has the support of firefighters across the state, including Garry Briese, executive director of the Colorado State Fire Chiefs.
“We heard a presentation during the interim on this ... it’s not a new topic to us,” Roberts said. “Certainly, it seems like it has a lot of potential. Perhaps (Hickenlooper) is just not that familiar with it.”
The Durango Herald sat down with developers of the technology in February to learn how it works. Researchers said it is critical because it predicts how natural disasters will behave.
The system uses a coupled weather-wildland fire model, which recognizes relationships between fire and the atmosphere, including wind changes, temperature shifts and gust fronts from clouds.
In the case of floods, the technology uses a real-time system that’s designed to predict heavy rainfall, flash floods and streamflow by implementing rainfall estimation, precipitation forecasting and water modeling.
The two systems combined enable responders to explain what was once considered phenomena, empowering officials to predict rapid changes in behavior.
Hickenlooper took a similar cautious approach to securing $20 million for an aerial firefighting fleet, which was finally backed by lawmakers last year.
When asked about the aerial fleet at a news conference in January 2014, Hickenlooper pointed to the cost, suggesting that a better solution might be to have an aerial fleet that several Western states share. He ultimately signed the bill creating the aerial fleet in May 2014.
On Wednesday, Hickenlooper said he must weigh the increased benefit that the state would get before making a decision about the fire-flood technology.
“Ten million dollars, if it’s sufficiently accurate, is not an unreasonable amount of money,” Hickenlooper said.
Rep. Tracy Kraft-Tharp, D-Arvada, who is sponsoring the bill this year with Roberts, said she is confident that she has the support of the governor’s office, despite Hickenlooper’s skeptical remarks.
“The governor’s office has said that their support for this has not changed,” Kraft-Tharp said. “What I’ve been told is he was giving no indication that his support has changed.”
pmarcus@durangoherald.com
