With a multitude of small trees and few government resources to reduce fire dangers, lawmakers are looking to private companies to find ways to thin the forests.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, the House gave a boost to companies that want to generate energy by burning dead trees, passing Rep. Don Coram\u2019s Senate Bill 273.<\/p>\n
The bill offers tax incentives and favorable treatment with air quality permits and Public Utilities Commission rulings for small operations that burn forest slash.<\/p>\n
Coram, R-Montrose, also was a sponsor of two other bills that cleared the Legislature within the last week. One of them offers $10 million in grants for community groups to clear out overgrown forests around towns and neighborhoods. The other gives the governor more authority to pay for quick responses to wildfires.<\/p>\n
Rep. Mike McLachlan, D-Durango, and Sen. Ellen Roberts, R-Durango, also sponsored the bill for $10 million in forest health grants. The money can be doubled by attracting matching grants, Coram said.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, it\u2019s a drop in the bucket for what the problem is. But we have to start addressing this and encourage the private sector to get involved,\u201d Coram said.<\/p>\n
Most foresters believe a century of fire-suppression has led to overgrown forests. But with so many Coloradans living next to forests, state leaders also want to put out fires quickly before they get big.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the goal of SB 270. It allows the governor to increase or decrease expenses from the state\u2019s wildfire fund, depending on the severity of the wildfire season.<\/p>\n
The bill also offers more assistance to local firefighting agencies. Right now, the state will pay for the first aerial tanker drop, the first hour of a firefighting helicopter, and the first two days of hand crews. SB 270 offers the governor flexibility to pay for more air tanker flights or additional days of hand crews.<\/p>\n
All three bills are on their way to Gov. John Hickenlooper for final approval.<\/p>\n