Three federal wildland firefighters died last weekend in a fast-moving wildfire near the Colorado-Utah border, raising questions about the Trump administration’s revival of a policy to extinguish all wildfire ignitions by 10am the next morning. The emphasis on “full suppression” is a departure from a decades-long trend toward embracing fire as a tool to burn hazardous fuels and lessen the risk of wildfires becoming catastrophic blazes.
Following an order from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, the newly created U.S. Wildland Fire Service plans to use full suppression “for every wildfire under its management,” federal officials said in a statement to the Associated Press. “Any wildfire that represents a threat to life, property, infrastructure or the environment should be extinguished as quickly as possible,” the statement said.
The victims were part of an elite, helicopter-based crew that got trapped as they attacked the blaze on the ground. “The question is, why were they attacking that fire in the first place?” asked Timothy Ingalsbee, a former federal firefighter and cofounder of the advocacy group Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics and Ecology. “What was actually at risk? If it was a bunch of shrubs on remote mountaintops, what was the real risk that justified putting those firefighters at risk?”
The change in policy benefits private fire aviation companies that are key to attacking new fires quickly, including Bridger Aerospace, a Montana-based company founded by U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy.
Trump delivers rambling remarks at Teddy Roosevelt library opening
At Wednesday’s dedication of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota, President Donald Trump delivered rambling remarks that only briefly touched on aspects of President Theodore Roosevelt’s legacy, conspicuously leaving out his conservation achievements. In a statement, Center for Western Priorities Executive Director Aaron Weiss said, “In just a year and a half, Doug Burgum has cemented his place as one of the most anti-public land Interior secretaries in American history. And Donald Trump is undoubtedly the most anti-conservation president in history. Together, they are trying to return America to the Gilded Age that Teddy Roosevelt brought to a close. Their actions, just like Teddy’s, will far outlive them and have a negative impact on our public lands for generations to come.”
Happy 4th of July!
In observation of the 4th of July holiday, Look West is taking a break the rest of the week. We will be back in your inbox for more public lands and energy news on Monday, July 6.
Quick hits
Interior official in charge of regulating wildlife steps in to renew permit for her family business
As wildfires rage, officials fear fireworks danger ahead of July 4th, including at Mount Rushmore
USA Today | E&E News | Inside Climate News
Utah officials warn of ‘totally unprecedented’ water shortages as towns run dry
As western fires worsen, Forest Service chief eyes more state control of federal lands
Bloomberg Law | Salt Lake Tribune
Trump is using a $500 million no-bid contract to build his White House ballroom
Firefighter deaths raise questions about return to full suppression of wildfires
How Trump’s agenda clashes with Teddy Roosevelt’s legacy
Newsweek | KVRR | Buffalo’s Fire | North Dakota Monitor [opinion]
Opinion: Public lands, American freedom
Quote of the day
When our founding fathers [adopted] the Declaration of Independence on July 4, they didn’t foresee that people would be setting off fireworks in an arid drought-stricken western USA on that date in the future but that’s where we are.”
—Dmitri Kalashnikov, a climate scientist at the University of California, Merced, Inside Climate News
Picture This
America turns 250 this weekend, and we’re celebrating with FREE national park entry! 🇺🇸
July 3 through 5, discover the places that tell America’s story. Explore @colonialnps, where our nation’s earliest chapters unfolded. Visit @goldenspikenps, where the first transcontinental railroad was completed. Or experience iconic landscapes like @yellowstonenps and @
This is our history. Come experience it.
Photos by NPS
Featured image: Source: @uswfs