During the National Association of Counties (NACo) Legislative Conference, March 2-6 in Washington DC, Jackson County Commissioner Colleen Roberts brought forward a resolution to the NACo Public Lands Steering Committee on amending Federal regulations and policies allowing naturally-caused fires to burn during a wildfire season declared by a state.
At issue are Federal regulations, policies, and guidelines that allow lightning-caused fires to burn on Federal lands at all times and that permit the use of prescribed fires, regardless of ignition source, on federal lands at all times.
Jackson County Commissioner Colleen Roberts introduces an interim policy resolution to the public lands steering committee.
After robust discussion, the Public Land’s Steering Committee amended the resolution and voted unanimously to support the immediate revocation, rescission, and revision of all United States Forest Service (USFS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) policies that allow lightning-caused fires on federal lands managed by those agencies to burn, and that permit the use of prescribed fires, regardless of ignition source, during a declared wildfire season to the extent not authorized by Congress.
By way of background, the proposed resolution states: The Federal government owns significant percentages of the land in the western states. In Nevada, 84.9 percent of the state is in federal ownership; Utah, 64.9 percent; Idaho, 61.6 percent; Alaska, 61.2 percent; Oregon, 52.9 percent; Wyoming, 48.1 percent; California, 45.8 percent; Arizona, 38.6 percent; Colorado, 35.9 percent; New Mexico, 34.7 percent; Montana, 29.0 percent; and Washington, 28.5 percent.
The western states have suffered historic wildfires over the past several years, a significant portion of which start on federal lands. These wildfires, the related smoke and other impacts have a dramatic impact on the health, safety, and welfare of the residents of these states. Federal agencies, including the USFS and the BLM, have adopted regulations, policies, and guidelines that allow lightning-caused fires to burn on federal lands at all times and that permit the use of prescribed fires, regardless of ignition source, on federal lands at all times. (See, e.g., Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy & Program Review, December 18, 1995 and Guidance for Implementation of Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy, February 13, 2009.)
USFS and BLM policies and guidelines allowing these wildfires to burn and authorizing the ignition of additional wildfires during a declared wildfire season have significant negative impacts on the residents of these states. Residents’ real and personal property and health are put at an enhanced risk when wildfires are allowed to burn and prescribed fires are allowed to be ignited during a State-declared wildfire season. While prescribed burns are useful management tools for federal agencies, such burns should not be permitted when residents’ health, safety, and welfare are already in jeopardy due to wildfire season conditions.
Thank you, Commissioner Roberts, for bringing this timely and important issue to the forefront.
The NACo resolutions process provides members with the ability to participate in national policy decisions affecting county governments. Policy resolutions, like this one presented by Commissioner Roberts, and approved by a NACo Steering Committee and the NACo Board of Directors will guide NACo advocacy efforts until the NACo Annual Conference in July 2019.
Contributed by: Susan Morgan | Legislative Affairs Manager