As Colorado wildfires worsen, Sen. John Hickenlooper’s bill aims to reduce risks. But it worries some environmentalists.

A wildfire prevention bill championed by western U S senators including Colorado s John Hickenlooper aims to fast-track selected logging projects to reduce fire jeopardy But several environmental groups say the bill would sideline the inhabitants and skirt environmental protection laws Wildfires in Colorado are growing larger and spreading faster as environment change-fueled drought desiccates the landscape and longer fire seasons create more opportunity for destructive blazes Four of the state s five largest fires have ignited since charring more than square miles combined The escalating problem demands a swift response Hickenlooper stated in an interview The wide-ranging -page Fix our Forests Act would address the problems by expanding prevention programs consolidating federal support and funding more research It also would streamline environmental and populace review of wildfire prevention work like chopping down trees and prescribed burns We re trying to figure out how to do things faster Hickenlooper announced We re trying to do things faster because we can t wait four years or eight years to address this issue and obviously the administration that is in office now does not view it as a serious obstacle U S Sen John Hickenlooper top center listens during a roundtable discussion at the CU Anschutz Cancer Center in Aurora on March Photo by Helen H Richardson The Denver Post While the bill has backing from a contingent of environmental groups provisions that would eliminate environmental review for several forest-thinning projects or shorten opportunities for population input have made other advocates wary especially as President Donald Trump s administration seeks to expand logging on community lands Anything that puts power back in the hands of the regime and away from the people is a negative declared Will Roush the executive director of Wilderness Workshop a general lands advocacy group based in Carbondale The U S Senate Committee on Agriculture Nutrition and Forestry heard the bill on May and the regulation is now being revised through the markup process It will then return to the committee for a vote The bipartisan bill includes provisions that would Map firesheds where fire exposure is highest and create plans across agencies and governments to mitigate exposure on private federal and local property Create a Wildfire Intelligence Center a joint office between the departments of Agriculture and Interior to serve as a national hub for wildfire prediction coordination and response so that states have a one-stop shop for federal information Require a federal assessment of wildfire threat inside each fireshed and the identification of tactics to reduce risks Allow federal officers in an crisis to exempt wildfire resilience projects like forest thinning and prescribed burns from environmental review processes if they re in firesheds Establish intra-agency strike teams to expedite environmental review processes related to fireshed management Raise the threshold for requiring a competitive bid for timber sales from an appraised value of to Create a activity to reforest federal lands A great number of environmental groups have signed on in backing of the bill including the Nature Conservancy the Environmental Defense Fund and the National Audubon Society In Colorado Gov Jared Polis the Colorado State Forest Institution and the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control have given their approval This critical ordinance will bolster our shared stewardship ethic in Colorado and enhance our ability as a state to improve forest wellness protect lives communities and water supplies from wildfire and ensure that the forests that define Colorado endure for generations to come Matt McCombs Colorado s state forester and the director of the Colorado State Forest Amenity reported in a comment But Roush and other environmental advocates with reservations point to three parts of the bill that would limit population participation and unravel protections Exempting several wildfire prevention logging projects of up to acres or more than square miles from population comment and environmental analysis Previously projects could meet that exemption if they did not exceed acres Limiting the amount of time the community has to legally challenge a proposed project to days down from six years Removing a requirement that the U S Forest Provision redo forest planning processes when a new endangered species or critical habitat is determined Effective wildfire prevention starts by funding and staffing key agencies and investing in proven fire-mitigation techniques like home hardening and science-based forest management announced Blaine Miller-McFeeley the senior legislative representative of Earthjustice a nonprofit environmental legal group in a message This bill instead would codify the Trump administration s attacks on our national forests and open the door for the timber industry to recklessly log our forests under the guise of forest management A tree stump remains in an area where fire mitigation projects have taken place along the Shadow Pine Loop trail at Flying J Ranch Park on September in Conifer Colorado Photo by Helen H Richardson The Denver Post Related Articles Grass fire burning along I- near RTD station under control functionaries say Suspect arrested in Summit County wildfire that closed I- Bipartisan vote kills governor s plan to lower homeowners insurance costs in Colorado Victim of Stone Canyon fire in Boulder County identified after lengthy research Trainwreck of NOAA funding cuts could derail Colorado research on wildfires earthquakes and storms Roush cited the impact of masses comment on a federal forest management plan that called for clear-cutting trees in the Upper Frying Pan Valley outside Basalt The input helped protect a cave and karst system and multigenerational aspen stands Roush declared When citizens recounted the Forest Arrangement about those unique guidance the institution altered its plans to protect those areas It didn t shut the project down or stop it from happening it just made it better for everyone and that s what would be lost without the opportunity for robust area engagement Roush disclosed We felt like we got into a good compromise Hickenlooper stated that the general should consistently demand the right to transparency but there must be a time limit It doesn t mean they can come back and start litigating years later Hickenlooper announced That just makes it impossible to get projects done The bill sponsors spent a year trying to find that balance as well as make compromises with Republican senators whose patronage will help the bill get funding he disclosed My grandfather used to say Only God is perfect Hickenlooper reported But this is pretty good Get more Colorado news by signing up for our Mile High Roundup email newsletter