Bills seeking to invest millions of dollars in wildfire mitigation this legislative session are being stripped of funding as Colorado lawmakers look to curb state spending. 

Legislators say it’s a painful reminder of the state’s budget reality — one where a $1.2 billion deficit “just makes it really hard for new programs to exist,” said Rep. Elizabeth Velasco, D-Glenwood Springs.

Velasco, chair of the bipartisan Wildfire Matters Review Committee, is sponsoring a bill that seeks to grow the workforce of foresters and firefighters by issuing new grants for certifications, training initiatives and outreach campaigns to promote job opportunities.

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The measure, House Bill 1078, would cost the state’s general fund $3 million over the next three years. Lawmakers have sought to prevent any new allocations from the fund, which is already the subject of deep cuts. 

As a result, the bill’s progress has stalled in the legislature for more than a month as it waits for a hearing in the House Appropriations Committee, with Velasco adding, “We, at this time, don’t have the money.”

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The bill has, however, been amended to allow for funds in the form of gifts, grants and in-kind donations, representing one of the few backup options that could still offer an initial — albeit limited — funding source. 

Velasco hopes that even if the grant program is created in a bare-bones form, it can garner state funding in the future. 

“I am optimistic that we’re going to be able to find some funds for this important program,” Velasco said. “We’re exploring all the possibilities.”

In the Senate, Lisa Cutter, D-Littleton, is proposing a bill that would create a fund to cover damages from prescribed burns. 

Cutter, who serves as vice chair of the wildfire committee, hopes the proposal, Senate Bill 7, can provide local communities with more guardrails and, in turn, further promote prescribed burns as a mitigation strategy. 

The bill initially sought $1.2 million in general fund dollars for the next fiscal year but was cut to $250,000 through an amendment in the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. 

With a budget environment “like the Hunger Games,” Cutter said she is prepared to forgo any state funding if it means being able to at least establish a program that can accept gifts, grants and donations. 

“It’s not ideal,” Cutter said. “But having this in statute — the framework set up — I think is important.” 

Still, some legislation has made it through unscathed. House Bill 1009, which Cutter is also sponsoring, allows local fire districts to create programs to clear dead or dry vegetation and fine residents who don’t comply. The bill, which doesn’t allocate any funding for such programs, passed in both the House and Senate. 

Other ideas have proved too expensive for lawmakers. 

Senate Bill 22, for example, would have allocated $7.6 million to extend a pilot program at Lockheed Martin to study how artificial intelligence can help prevent wildfires. It died in a Senate committee in late January, less than three weeks after being introduced. 

A similar initiative, Senate Bill 11, would allow the Colorado Department of Public Safety to contract with private companies operating AI cameras that can detect wildfires. 

Proponents originally wanted to allocate up to $6 million over three years from the state’s real property fund for the initiative. That was stripped out in an amendment, though the bill still acts as a green light for state officials to pursue contracts if and when new funding becomes available. 

The budget crunch comes as federal layoffs threaten to further strain state resources. 

President Donald Trump’s decision last month to fire over 3,400 United States Forest Service employees generated an outcry from Colorado leaders and public land advocates, who fear it will hamper wildfire mitigation and other essential work. 

“We do not have the ability to backfill the federal government’s withdrawal from basic items,” Gov. Jared Polis told reporters last week. “So I’m really hopeful that those cuts can be restored because they’re a key part of reducing the risk of fire to our fellow Coloradans.” 

Still, Polis touted the major investments the state has made in wildfire preparedness, including acquiring its own firefighting helicopters. 

Cutter said while lawmakers may not be able to fund new initiatives, she’s hopeful they’ll be able to preserve programs already in place. Yet with a warming climate helping to fuel more intense wildfires in the West, the threat of disaster will only increase. 

“It’s really awful to be in this place because what we don’t spend now is going to cost us way more in the long run,” she said. “I feel good that we’ve got really good groundwork laid. Do I feel there’s more that we should be doing or could be doing? Of course, but I don’t know how we ever even actually meet the need.”