Committee Advances Pair of Bills to Continue Wildfire Prevention Awareness, Improve Wildfire Mitigation
DENVER, CO – Today the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee advanced a pair of bills sponsored by Senator Lisa Cutter, D-Jefferson County, to continue wildfire prevention awareness and improve wildfire mitigation in rural communities.
“We must use every tool available to protect our communities and prepare for the increased number and intensity of wildfires,” said Cutter. “The bills advanced today will help get these tools and valuable information into communities under threat of wildfire, including those in under-resourced rural communities.”
HB24-1024 would require the Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) to continue its enhanced wildfire outreach campaign through 2027, as well as other outreach efforts that increase awareness of wildfire risk mitigation in the wildland-urban interface.
In 2022, Cutter sponsored legislation that directed CSFS to create a working group and implement an enhanced wildfire awareness month outreach campaign for 2023 and 2024.
The Committee also advanced HB24-1006, cosponsored by Senator Perry Will, R-New Castle, which would establish a grant program within CSFS to provide grant funds to nonprofits to aid rural communities in navigating and applying for state and federal wildfire prevention grants. The array of available resources can be complex to wade through, which is why navigation assistance is critical to help communities obtain the resources they need to combat wildfires through prevention tactics, response efforts, and risk management.
Both bills now move to the Senate Appropriations Committee for further review. Track HB24-1024’s progress HERE and HB24-1006’s progress HERE.