Press Release

The Western Governors' Association released a letter at its Forest Health Summit today asking the Senate to recognize the importance of collaborative efforts to expedite fuel treatments, while giving priority to communities at high risk of fire and the watersheds that supply them.

During the Summit, nearly 400 participants representing diverse constituencies will develop additional recommendations to improve forest health with collaborative, locally driven projects. They will also evaluate governmental policies that may need revision to meet the goals of the 10-year strategy and implementation plans for reducing wildfire risks previously approved by the governors and the administration.

The letter to Senate leaders of the Agriculture and Energy and Natural Resources Committees was signed by Govs. Judy Martz of Montana, WGA Chair; Bill Richardson of New Mexico, WGA Vice Chair; and Dirk Kempthorne of Idaho and Janet Napolitano of Arizona, WGA co-leads for forest health issues.

"While we are convinced that the collaborative processes established in the Strategy should be used both to select, on a local level, most individual hazardous fuel reduction projects, and to set regional and national priorities for fuel treatments, there are some areas where people living in the wildland-urban interface are at high risk," the letter stated. "Therefore, the Senate should review existing law and recent changes to administrative processes regarding high-risk communities to determine if changes in the law are necessary to expedite the protection of these areas.

"As administrative and statutory reforms are discussed, we urge you to recognize that effective use of the collaborative process can help expedite necessary fuel treatments across the millions of acres of lands at risk in the West and nationwide. Priority in project selection should be given to projects that reduce fire risk in communities at risk and the watersheds that supply them."

The governors also support:

• meaningful participation early in the planning process as a requirement for appeals; however, any deadlines for judicial action, must not preclude the opportunity for meaningful stakeholder participation.
• allowing courts to use sound-science to consider the long-term effects of critical forest projects versus the effects of inaction while awaiting judicial rulings regarding injunctions;
• more efficient and speedier consultations under the Endangered Species Act;
• increased funding, through the National Fire Plan, to implement all of the actions called for in the 10-year strategy.

"If the Strategy is fully funded, suppression costs will diminish over time as communities restore forests to their natural conditions, in part, by affording them the necessary tools to accomplish this work," the letter stated.

The governors said they will forward to Congress related recommendations from the summit participants. Meeting attendees will participate in breakout sessions tomorrow to develop recommendations on the following topics:

• Improve Fire Prevention and Suppression
• Reduce Hazardous Fuels
• Restore Fire-adapted Ecosystems
• Promote Community Stability
• Collaboration Challenges

A copy of the letter, WGA policies related to forest health and copies of the 10-year strategy and implementation plans are available on the WGA Web site at www.westgov.org.

The Western Governors' Association is an independent, nonprofit organization representing the governors of 18 states, two territories and one commonwealth. Through their Association, the Western governors identify and address key policy and governance issues in natural resources, the environment, human services, economic development, international relations and public management.

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