Senators proposing new wildfire agency

A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation Thursday that would create a new Wildfire Intelligence Agency, seeking to streamline the federal response to fires.

The bill, led by Sens. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) and Steve Daines (R-Mont.), came in the wake of recent blazes that decimated parts of Southern California, primarily in the Los Angeles region.

“The scale of the wildfire crisis demands a singular, whole-of-government wildfire intelligence center to foster cross-agency collaboration and save lives,” Padilla wrote in a statement.

The joint office would share information with the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Commerce and the Department of the Interior, according to the legislation.

“Wildfires don’t care about state lines or forest service boundaries,” Hickenlooper said. “A centralized wildfire intelligence center will speed our response to fires and promote cross-agency collaboration to tackle them.”

The proposed center will aim to increase monitoring and imaging capabilities that land management agencies currently cannot achieve, Padilla's release states. It would also coordinate a federal response for state departments and agencies, tribal entities, academia and the private sector on wildland fires.

“As fire season rapidly approaches for Montana, we need all hands on deck to prevent catastrophic disasters," Daines added. "Sharing information and resources between agencies will undoubtedly help Montana communities take preventive measures and better combat fires and coordinate response efforts."

Lawmakers have been bracing for what could be a contentious battle over emergency spending in the wake of the wildfires. The total damage and economic loss from the California wildfires are projected to amount to between $250 and $275 billion, according to AccuWeather.

State officials continue working to rebuild and restructure their planning approach to the natural disasters that occur almost yearly. The largest fires were fully contained over the weekend.

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