DENVER – Responding to last summer’s devastating wildfires, Colorado lawmakers passed several bills this year to prepare for future fire seasons.
But it’s a measure to establish a state-owned aerial firefighting fleet that’s getting the most attention – and partisan wrangling – as wildfire season begins with four destructive fires burning around the state. The wildfires once again are pressing the question of whether enough aerial resources are available to combat them.
The federal government has 10 air tankers to combat fires, and all of them were in use Wednesday nationwide.
The Republican-sponsored bill signed into law last week created the Colorado Firefighting Air Corps, with a mission to buy or contract firefighting aircraft. But there was no funding attached to the measure. And without the $17.5 million needed to retrofit aerial tankers from the federal government, the newly minted state division can’t launch.
Soon after the wildfires exploded Tuesday, Republican lawmakers took to Twitter to blast Gov. John Hickenlooper and fellow Democrats for rejecting funding for the program. But even with funding, state-owned planes wouldn’t be fighting the fires now. It would take eight months to a year for the fleet to be operational, said Sen. Steve King, the bill’s Republican sponsor.
“The question is, if not now, then when?” said King, who insisted Wednesday lawmakers must act to fund his proposal before more devastating wildfires strike.
Asked about fire response Wednesday, the governor said local governments have “access to air assets” when wildfires erupt.
“We can’t do anything until the local community asks for help,” Hickenlooper said on KOA radio. “We’re trying to make sure they are aware of all the assets we have, and we make it as easy as possible for them to reach out and say, ‘All right, we need some help.’”
Although King’s bill passed with bipartisan support, not everyone agrees that funding a state firefighting fleet is money well spent.
Democratic Rep. Claire Levy, one of the state’s budget writers, said she opposed the measure because “it ties up an awful lot of state resources in just one firefighting tool, and that tool is one of the most expensive tools that we can possibly have.”
She said she would rather work with the federal government and private contractors to use resources when they’re required, noting California’s state-owned fleet is sometimes grounded because of strong winds.
“Let’s contract for these so that we are only paying for it when we need it,” Levy said. She said she would rather use the money for equipment for firefighters or more wildfire mitigation.
Republican U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn, whose Colorado Springs district has a large wildfire that has prompted thousands to evacuate, said he liked the idea of a state-owned fleet. But he also cautioned about the expense.
“It would be sort of expensive for a state to maintain its own fleet,” he said.
Last summer, fires in separate parts of the state destroyed hundreds of homes, making it one of Colorado’s worst wildfire seasons. In response, lawmakers passed a series of new laws, including tax incentives for homeowners to conduct fire mitigation on their property, and revising a prescribed-burn program. Also, lawmakers created a committee to meet at least once a year to review and propose laws on mitigation and forest health.
