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As Colorado lawmakers seek new investments in wildfire mitigation, the state’s budget woes pose a challenge 

Legislators have introduced bills to grow the workforce of fire fighters, study AI tools for mitigation and promote prevention strategies. But the proposals’ price tags could make passage difficult.

The Lake Christine Fire burns near Basalt on July 3, 2018. With wildfire risk an increasing threat in mountain communities, lawmakers are anxious to fund new programs aimed at mitigation-focused fire fighting efforts.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times

Colorado lawmakers are drawing their red lines over what high-priority budget items they want to see protected as the legislature looks to cut nearly $1 billion in state spending this session. 

Along with education, health care and safety-net services, legislators representing mountain communities are concerned the budget shortfall could impact wildfire mitigation efforts that they say are becoming more needed — and expensive. 

Amid the backdrop of devastating fires in Los Angeles that have displaced tens of thousands of residents, legislators say they want more support in their communities where wildfire is an ever-present risk. 



Rep. Elizabeth Velasco, D-Glenwood Springs, said local fire districts in her region are already reeling from the package of property tax cuts approved by the legislature last year. Property taxes are generally the main source of revenue for fire districts. 

“We know that fire districts are definitely hurting from the tax cuts — they need more funding,” said Velasco, who represents parts of Eagle, Garfield and Pitkin counties. “The cost of responding is increasing, (there are) issues with staffing, issues with pay.” 



Velasco is sponsoring a bill this session, House Bill 1078, aimed at growing the workforce of foresters and firefighters with grants for certifications, training initiatives and an outreach campaign to promote job opportunities.

It also provides funding to Colorado State University to develop new programs for forestry and fire fighting such as through 4-H opportunities, internships and industry certifications. 

Increasing that workforce has taken on new urgency in light of the U.S. Forest Service’s nationwide hiring freeze on non-essential seasonal employees. 

In Western Slope communities surrounded by national forests, local leaders say those jobs — which include patrolling Forest Service land and putting out unattended campfires — are critical for wildfire prevention. 

Party leaders have called for lawmakers to advance bills that have a $0 price tag, with House Speaker Julie McCluskie telling reporters a day before the start of the session: “There is no money to spend.”

Velasco’s bill would cost $3 million over the next three years, which could prove challenging in the current budget environment. Velasco said she and the other bill sponsors are working to reduce its costs. 

“We don’t want this bill to die because we are not able to fund it,” Velasco said. 

In the Senate, Sedalia Republican Mark Baisley is sponsoring a bill to subsidize a pilot program at Lockheed Martin to study how artificial intelligence can help prevent wildfires

The defense and aerospace contractor has been developing AI tools like fuel mapping and fire perimeters based on satellite imagery. Other technology is helping predict lighting strikes that may ignite fires as well as the pattern of how a fire may spread.

Baisley hopes the state can eventually integrate the technology into its wildfire response programs, if and when it becomes publicly available. 

Senate Bill 22 would extend the pilot program for at least another year to the tune of $7.6 million, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Council Staff.

“It’s worth it to Colorado to make that investment,” Baisley said. “If we spend this money to save the state from having to spend mountains more after an enormous fire, that will have been a wise decision.”

But bill sponsors also acknowledged the state’s budget reality isn’t on their side. 

“It’s not a question of whether or not this technology is valuable … It’s really a matter of money at this point,” said Rep. Andrew Boesenecker, D-Fort Collins, a House sponsor. “It’s hard to imagine a bill with a price tag in the millions being successful in this session.”

A firefighter carries out a prescribed burn in East Vail. “I think the way that we approach wildfire needs to be informed by science and experts in the field,” said Democratic Sen. Lisa Cutter, who has introduced a bill this session aimed at promoting prescribed burns as a strategy.
Vail Daily archive

Democratic Sen. Lisa Cutter, who represents parts of Jefferson County, including the foothills towns of Morrison and Evergreen, said there are other ways the legislature can support wildfire mitigation efforts without inflating the state’s budget. 

“Personally, I’m not really supportive of some of the more cash-intensive technology projects,” Cutter said. “I think most firefighters and most people working in public safety would say that there’s better ways — if you have this big a pot of money — (to spend it).”

Cutter is sponsoring legislation in the Senate to have the state cover damages from prescribed burn operations that are carried out in local communities. 

The goal is to increase the practice of prescribed burns in forested areas by providing a backstop for any damages that may occur. Prescribed burns are routinely carried out in mountain communities to reduce fuel loads that can exacerbate a fire’s intensity. 

The legislation, Senate Bill 7, sets aside just under $1.2 million in state money this fiscal year to create the fund. 

Cutter said she is looking at ways to bring down the bill’s price tag, possibly by creating a smaller cash fund that could be increased over time. 

She added the fallout from a wildfire disaster will be far more expensive. Colorado’s worst wildfire incident in history, the 2021 Marshall Fire in Boulder, is estimated to have cost over $2 billion in damages

And with fire districts facing tight budgets following last year’s property tax cuts, Cutter said she and other lawmakers “are working very hard to try to find alternative funding sources, more stable funding sources so that we can give them the tools they need.” 


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