wildfire
-
Panel advances incentives to bolster timber, forest health, wildfire mitigation industries
A Colorado House panel advanced legislation on Thursday to support the timber, forest health and wildfire mitigation industries through internship programs and a tax credit. If enacted, House Bill 1166 would cover half the costs of employing interns and offer tax credits for purchasing equipment and vehicles used in these industries. The House Energy and…
-
Colorado House OKs expansions to insurance coverage of wildfire losses
The Colorado House of Representatives approved legislation that, if enacted, would expand the way insurance companies handle wildfire losses in the state. House Bill 1111 seeks to increase the amount of lost property insurance providers have to cover upfront and extend the timeframe victims have to rebuild their homes. The proposed changes would only apply…
-
Colorado bill honors fallen firefighter through required reporting of controlled burns
Five months ago, volunteer firefighter Darcy Stallings was responding to a reported fire when he crashed into the back of a semi-truck, dying at the scene. After his death, it was revealed that the blaze he was responding to was a controlled burn, not an emergency. The family of 34-year-old Stallings said he would not…
-
Contract to remove Marshall fire debris still unsigned as litigation continues
Tons of rubble from the Marshall fire sat under a new round of snow Monday as county officials and lawyers traded blame for the fact that debris from the Dec. 30 wildfire may not be hauled away until at least mid-March and maybe even as far out as April. A hearing to decide whether a…
-
Panel advances pilot program for wildfire-detecting cameras
Legislation to use fire-detecting cameras to monitor Colorado for wildfires unanimously passed its first committee hurdle on Monday. House Bill 1148, advanced by the House Agriculture, Livestock & Water Committee, would create a pilot program using remote cameras to detect wildfires and notify firefighters. The pilot program would run from April 2023 to September 2026…
-
Colorado Springs officials pitch plan to make wildfire evacuation planning law
Colorado Springs city officials pitched a plan Tuesday to make the current wildfire evacuation planning steps local law, a measure residents say doesn’t address the core of their concerns around getting out of their homes safely in a major blaze. Councilman Bill Murray was among those during the back-to-back Colorado Springs City Council meetings who…
-
Colorado House panel approves nearly $30 million in wildfire mitigation grants
A House panel on Thursday passed three bills that aim to spend nearly $27.5 million over the next two years on grant programs to encourage mitigation strategies and combat more frequent and intense wildfires. Lawmakers are considering the bills less than two months after the Marshall fire – the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history –…
-
Colorado’s drought situation improves, but snowfall still below normal
Colorado’s drought situation vastly improved this month compared to over a year ago, but experts worry about wildfire potential if the state doesn’t get good snow and rain in the spring, according to presentations at Thursday’s state Water Availability Task Force meeting. Last year’s poor precipitation has had a dramatic effect on reservoir storage across…
-
Colorado lawmakers propose changes to insurance coverage of wildfire losses
Less than two months after Coloradans suffered the state’s most destructive wildfire in history, lawmakers are trying to change the way insurance companies handle wildfire losses. If passed, House Bill 1111 would increase the amount of lost property insurance providers have to cover upfront and extend the timeframe victims have to rebuild their homes. The…
-
Colorado bills allocate tens of millions of dollars for wildfire mitigation grants
Three bills introduced in the Colorado legislature aim to spend nearly $27.5 million over the next two years on grant programs to encourage mitigation strategies and combat more frequent and intense wildfires. Lawmakers are set to tackle the bills less than two months after the Marshall fire – the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history…