The bill will create a new disaster designation for wildfires that burn on federal lands, thus making communities affected by the fires eligible for federal support to aid with damages.<\/p>\n
Tipton said he introduced the bill after speaking with constituents in La Plata County about the effects of the 416 Fire that started June 1, including business owners on Main Avenue. He said landowners near the burn area were not going to have \u201ca lot of opportunities\u201d for aid or assistance because they are private landowners while the fire was mostly on public lands.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese natural disasters, we have to be able to deal with,\u201d Tipton said. \u201cWe have \u2026 to make sure that those resources are going to be available because in our community, every small business counts. They play a very small, critical role in our economy with jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>