This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at cpr.org.
As Colorado continues to battle wildfires across the state, Democratic Rep. Brittany Pettersen has introduced a bipartisan package to address wildfires, from mitigation to helping communities impacted by them.
“We're being responsive to the increased risk that our communities face from wildfires,” Pettersen, who represents the 7th Congressional District, told CPR News. The district includes Custer County, which was impacted by the Aspen Acres fire, and Lake County, which was impacted by the Willow fire.
“We need to be working at the federal level to streamline the process and make sure that we have immediate access to the resources that we need and that we're also protecting the firefighters who are putting their lives on the line,” she said.
Two of the bills focus on funding and support for communities and families impacted by wildfires.
The Guaranteed Disaster Assistance Act ensures that Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding is distributed to states without requiring a presidential major disaster declaration. This funding goes to state, local, and tribal governments to rebuild and implement measures to reduce the risk of a future disaster.
Pettersen said this bill is about “making sure that communities automatically are able to draw down those dollars to support their recovery efforts and making sure that this is not a partisan process.”
It comes after the Trump administration denied a major disaster declaration for last year’s Lee and Elk fires.
Meanwhile, the HUD Disaster Information Improvements Act with GOP Rep. Tim Moore of North Carolina would require better coordination between the Department of Housing and Urban Development, FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration to support families and businesses after a disaster.
Two of the other bills she worked on with GOP Rep. Mike Lawler of New York. They stem from recommendations made by the Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission in 2023 during the Biden administration.
The Wildfire Research Coordination Act supports more federal collaboration on wildfire research and prevention strategies.
“There's a lot of duplicative efforts and time wasted when we're not having agency to agency coordination and data sharing,” Pettersen explained. “It is directing them to do that, to make sure that we are streamlining the process and that we're getting resources out the door.
The Wildfire Responder Protection Act would ensure all people who fight fires get proper health care coverage due to exposure to hazardous conditions.
Pettersen said wildfires are not a red or blue state issue. She worked with Lawler and Moore because their communities are facing similar emergencies as Colorado.
The last set of bills address mountain pine beetle infestations that kill pine trees. Pettersen is working on those bills with fellow Colorado Democratic Rep. Joe Neguse.
The Mountain Pine Beetle Coordination Act would direct the U.S. Forest Service to enter into cooperative agreements with states to prevent, monitor and respond to outbreaks. A different Emergency Mountain Pine Beetle Response Act would provide grant opportunities to on-the-ground partners to mitigate pine beetle threats.
“This helps in decreasing the hazardous materials so that fires don't have as much fuel. And it includes increasing support for the state to remove dead trees and implement mitigation measures,” said Pettersen.
Given the limited time left in the legislative session, Pettersen said she's realistic about which bills may or may not advance.
She noted that the Trump administration may not want to give up its power to declare a disaster to free up federal funds, while bills focused on streamlining data sharing and coordination may get bipartisan and bicameral support.
Pettersen said she and her legislative partners will do what they can to move these bills, and more, forward.
“This is a very complicated issue, like all big issues that we're facing. So, it's not going to be solved with just these bills. And it needs to be an all hands-on deck approach,” she said.
