Gov. Polis Applauds Federal Wildfire Recovery Funding to Support Recovery from Record 2020 Wildfire Season

Colorado received third-highest allocation of major funding 

DENVER -  Today, Governor Jared Polis applauded an announcement from the Biden administration that Colorado will receive roughly $79 million from the U.S. Forest Service to help Routt, White River, and Arapaho & Roosevelt national forests recover from the devastating 2020 wildfires. After consecutive devastating wildfire seasons that include late December’s Marshall Fire, recorded as the most destructive fire in Colorado’s history, this portion of the funding will be used predominantly for work on forest service land for flood prevention and to rehabilitate Colorado’s fire-impacted public lands through efforts like re-seeding and watershed protection efforts. 

“Climate and human induced wildfires are a threat to the air we breathe, the water we drink, our homes and economy, and the devastating wildfires our communities have battled has elevated this generational risk, no matter where we live in our beautiful state,” said Gov. Polis. “Collaboration between state, local, and federal governments is key to defending our state and the West from wildland fires and restoring precious water resources that are the lifeblood of our rural communities.”

Colorado received the third-highest allocation of major funding for use on Federal lands behind California and Oregon, states that also saw significant damage to natural resources caused by wildland fires last year. Colorado’s funds will also be used to fill the gap in state funds and Emergency Watershed Protection funds, which are not available for use on Federal lands.  

Until this announcement, the State of Colorado and local governments had provided the vast majority of recovery funding for the major watersheds impacted by the Cameron Peak and East Troublesome fires. Specifically, the state had provided $10.8M, local communities $3.6M, and the federal government $7.9M for the Cameron Peak Fire, and state and local resources combined have invested roughly $21M in watershed protection and recovery needs with the East Troublesome fire. 

While this is a significant investment in flood prevention efforts and watershed protection in the wake of the East Troublesome and Cameron Peak Fires, estimates from both the Forest Service and local water providers have indicated additional funding will be required for both watershed protection needs and recovery of natural and recreation infrastructure. The state continues to work with the Forest Service, federal delegation, and local communities to secure additional funding for these needs. 

This week, in his capacity as vice-chair of the Western Governors Association, Governor Jared Polis signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the US Department of Agriculture and US Department of Interior to establish a new Task Force on Collaborative Conservation focused on local, state, and federal collaboration for the West.