Gov. Mark Gordon said he’ll ask the Legislature for money to replenish state accounts that have been drained fighting Wyoming wildfires this summer.
He said at a Thursday press conference that the cost of this wildfire season is more than what was planned for in the two-year biennial budget that went into effect in July.
In addition to other fires seen mostly in northern and eastern Wyoming earlier this summer, the Elk Fire and Pack Trail Fire have burned a combined 145,000 acres outside Dayton and in the Bridger-Teton National Forest respectively. The Elk Fire is 15% contained and Pack Trail Fire is uncontained.
So far, the entire $39 million in Wyoming’s emergency fire suppression account has been used to fight this summer’s fires. This money, which first became available in July, was supposed to last two years.
In addition, Gordon has permission to pull up to $20 million from the Legislative Stabilization Reserve Account, also known as the state’s rainy day fund, which he said he’s been doing since draining the suppression account.
More Money
Any concerns about money, the governor said, won’t slow the state down in its fire mitigation efforts.
“I will go to the Legislature and ask for that,” he said. “We have the money to be able to do it, but I don’t know if I have the appropriation to do it.”
Gordon expressed optimism during the press conference that a cooler shift in weather next week could lower the cost of fighting fires. But he also warned that Wyoming is not out of the fire season by any stretch of the imagination, with minimal precipitation predicted in the forecast until next Thursday.
But the governor also said that he’s already been talking with legislators about whether he should be able to pull more than $20 million from the LSRA in the future.
Gordon said he spoke with Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte earlier Thursday about wildfires, and Gianforte has about $100 million at his disposal to spend on mitigation efforts.
Gordon said Montana has spent a little bit more than Wyoming fighting wildfires this year.
Rebuilding the damage caused by this year’s wildfires, Gordon said, will also be substantial.
Last week, six Wyoming counties received a U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretarial disaster designation due to damages and losses caused by wildfire, allowing those impacted access to emergency loans to meet recovery needs. The governor’s office is also providing information about various wildfire resources on its website.
Other Concerns
Also giving Gordon heartburn for the future are signs he’s seen that the U.S. Forest Service will not hire as many seasonal firefighting staff as it did in the past.
Gordon pointed out how Wyoming has relied heavily on seasonal employees from the Forest Service and the BLM to fight fires, in addition to local departments and volunteers. He also said the Forest Service has already begun releasing some of these employees for the year, which could have a negative effect on response times if another big fire pops up.
The governor said he’s working with other western governors to argue with the Forest Service that the devastating nature of the 2024 wildfires in Wyoming is perhaps not as unique as some people would like to think.
“We need to have the resources available under all circumstances,” he said.
Gordon commended the aviation-based efforts used to mitigate the fire.
“Those we feel are exceptionally important in being able to get an early attack on these fires and then also be able to contain them,” he said.
Gordon said he anticipates fire restrictions being put in place across the state and described this summer as “unprecedented.” He also chided unknown people who left two campfires abandoned but still burning that were discovered during the fire reconnaissance.
“Anybody who is thinking that it’s a good idea to leave a campfire under ordinary circumstances probably ought to be better educated,” he said. “Anybody doing that now, it is actually an extraordinarily bad idea.”
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
