Two state senators are calling for the state of Colorado to create their own wildland firefighting fleet of planes to ensure timely response to blazes as they erupt in our tinder-dry forests.

Sens. Steve King and Cheri Jahn are to hold a news conference tomorrow, Thursday, to announce a bill that would create the fire fleet, according to King's aide, John Meeks.

How much such a fleet would cost the government isn't clear, but it might wind up saving more in assets than it costs, by a long shot.

In Colorado Springs alone, nearly 350 homes were destroyed in last year's Waldo Canyon Fire, which could have an aggregate value of more than $120 million. The fire burned 18,247 acres of the Pike National Forest and private land surrounding it.

Last year, the federal government spent $2,241,809 on air operations for the Waldo Canyon fire, according to the U.S. Forest Service's Narrative Summary, obtained by the Independent.

The air operations section of the report states that helicopters, air tankers and air attack aircraft flew 450 hours and dropped 153,258 gallons of retardant.

The report also suggests that cost was a chief concern in deployment of resources. Here's one passage:

Cost containment was achieved by the Air Branch through the following actions:
* Judicious use of retardant and water dropping aircraft during active fire behavior.
* Kept the Helibase staffing to essential minimums.
* Release of excess helicopter and personnel when fire activity no longer warranted their use.
* Utilization of exclusive use helicopters to the degree possible.

Here's another portion of the report indicating a shortage of resources:

Due to the high request on aircraft, GPS flights for mapping the fire perimeter were only completed on 7/2. Infrared imagery was requested each night but was incomplete for 7/2 to 7/6 due to a lack of aircraft, other priority fires and weather.

And then there's this notation, also suggesting problems mobilizing aircraft:

The primary Operational issue was incorporating the Military Aircraft into our Air Operation. At one point we were conferring with Air National Guard, Regular Army, and National Guard. Through a series of discussions involving Air Operations and Military personnel a positive relationship was established letting military aircraft contribute to the suppression effort.

U.S. Sen. Mark Udall met with military officials in August to discuss the response, including air support, as we reported here.

We've also reported that people observed aircraft depart from the Waldo fire, and it's unclear why or how much of a factor that might have played.

Here's a look at the "Fire Wars" presentation given by Bill Scott, retired former flight test engineer and aviation journalist, which was part of an Economic Warfare Institute briefing to Congress on July 9, 2012, in Washington, D.C. The briefing reportedly was part of the inspiration for Colorado's proposal.

The Center for Western Priorities took the pulse of residents of Western states on U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan's idea of selling federal land to pay down the deficit. Ryan's proposed 2014 budget points to proposals by Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, and Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Calif., who have previously endorsed selling public lands to generate revenue, the Center for Western Priorities reports.

The reality is, the agency notes, that people oppose that idea by a margin of more than 2 to 1, and Coloradans oppose it the most, according to results from the 2013 State of the Rockies report, which included a poll of 2,400 voters in Western states.

After failing to get federal money allocated to help prevent flooding following the disastrous 2012 fire season, Colorado's senators Michael Bennet and Mark Udall haven't given up.

• Bennet: Won't give up

According to a news release, the two Democrats are continuing the fight by urging President Obama to allocate funds in his upcoming budget request for Fiscal Year 2014.

Last month, the House of Representatives removed Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) funding from a disaster relief bill. The funding would have helped Colorado Springs, Fort Collins and Greeley protect drinking water supplies and watershed infrastructure, the news release said.

Colorado Springs Utilities stores water in Rampart Reservoir. The Waldo Canyon Fire burned right up to the reservoir, and Utilities officials have said the cost of restoration around it will run into the millions. The fire destroyed 345 homes within Colorado Springs (and killed two people) where homeowners are facing potentially devastating floods should there be a break in the drought.

More from the release:

In the letter, the Senators call on the President to address the current backlog in funding for the federal EWP program. The program is designed to support efforts to restore eroded watersheds and damaged drinking water infrastructure. Communities in Colorado are at a significant risk of floods, road washouts, and compromised drinking water due to last year’s wildfires and the state currently faces a backlog of nearly $20 million for projects funded through this program.

• Udall: Joins with Bennet in the fight.

“It is nearly impossible to fund the necessary projects to repair this damage until Congress makes funding available through the Emergency Watershed Protection fund,” the Senators wrote. “The House’s failure to provide the necessary funds last month exposed the urgent need for leadership from the executive branch…By including EWP in the coming budget request, you will help ensure that the federal government, through its ongoing work to assist states in recovering from major disasters, leaves neither Colorado nor any other state behind.”

In late December, Senators Bennet and Udall successfully secured EWP funding in a Hurricane Sandy aid package that passed the Senate in a bipartisan vote. However, the House chose not to vote on that bill before adjourning its session on January 2 and the bill expired. In the new 113th Congress, the House drafted a new bill, excluding EWP resources for Colorado and other states hit by disasters around the country. Last week, the two Senators introduced a bill to restore these resources that were stripped.
As a result of the historic High Park Fire in Northern Colorado, the area supplying drinking water to communities including Greeley and Fort Collins has a high risk of flooding, road washouts, and water quality degradation. Similarly, in Colorado Springs, utility infrastructure has been badly damaged in the wake of last year’s wildfire season. EWP resources would help these Colorado communities protect their critical infrastructure and prevent future catastrophic damage from fires and floods.


Full Text of the Letter:

February 14, 2013

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

We write to urge your Administration to address the current Emergency Watershed Protection fund backlog in your upcoming budget request for Fiscal Year 2014.

As you know from having seen the damage in person, the summer 2012 wildfires were devastating for Coloradans. The Waldo Canyon and High Park fires, both Stafford disasters, destroyed hundreds of homes, caused millions of dollars of damage to critical infrastructure, and tragically resulted in the loss of several lives. Some of the most pernicious and longest lasting damage from the fires came to the watersheds adjacent to Colorado communities. This destruction dramatically increased the risks of future flooding and the contamination of drinking water supplies for a number of municipalities.

It is nearly impossible to fund the necessary projects to repair this damage until Congress makes funding available through the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) fund. Colorado currently faces a backlog of nearly $20 million for projects funded through this important program. And it isn’t just Colorado; the latest data from the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, which administers the fund, shows that there are 51 other projects across 19 states that require EWP funding.

We worked together to ensure that the Hurricane Sandy disaster relief bill that passed the Senate last December with bipartisan support included sufficient EWP funding for Colorado and other backlogged states. But we were disappointed that the House chose to strip this funding out of the package, leaving resources only for the states directly affected by Sandy. As a result, the final bill left Colorado and many other states behind.

The House’s failure to provide the necessary funds last month exposed the urgent need for leadership from the executive branch. We ask your Administration to include $61.9 million for EWP in your upcoming budget request. Based on the latest data from the Department of Agriculture, this amount will be sufficient to cover all EWP-associated projects across the country in need of funding in the aftermath of recent Stafford-declared disasters.

By including EWP in your budget, you will help ensure that the federal government, through its ongoing work to assist states in recovering from major disasters, leaves neither Colorado nor any other state behind. Thank you in advance for your consideration.
Sincerely,

_____________________________ _____________________________
Michael F. Bennet Mark Udall
United States Senator United States Senator

• Tom Tancredo and U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn

Haven't you heard? Hispanic voters are totally cool with the extreme right's anti-immigration platform, or so says former U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo.

Speaking Tuesday night at a Tea Party event (they still have those?), Colorado's premier anti-immigration stalwart stated that when you look at the election results from 2012 for the 10 states with the most Hispanic citizens, you will find that it was in Arizona that Mitt Romney carried the most Hispanic support.

The point, says Tancredo, is that in Arizona, the state with the most famously draconian anti-immigrant laws on the books — and Joe Arpaio — Hispanic voters turned out in droves for the Republican presidential candidate. So there is no reason for Republicans to back off or compromise on the immigration question.

Here, watch:

The problem with Tancredo's argument, however, is in the data.

As the website Latino Rebels notes:

Tancredo has chosen to ignore some very basic facts:

According to ABC News, Romney got 22% of the Arizona Latino vote in the general election.
Trancedo [sic] might have been referring to the 38% of the Latino vote Romney got in the Arizona Republican primary. (Source: CNN)

There is a HUGE difference between 22% of the Latino vote in the general election and 38% of the Latino vote in a GOP primary. Tancredo once again is misrepresenting the facts to prove his case. Too bad the facts he cites are flat-out wrong.

The above video was provided by Elliot Fladen, a former employee in the Springs' City Attorney's office and immigrant-rights activist. Below, watch as Fladen presses Tancredo to defend his argument that Hispanics don't care about the immigration issue.

• (Half of a) file photo

City Councilor Tim Leigh is an enigmatic creature of real estate, driven by mysteries hidden from man and beast alike.

Serving in the public sector for the first time, Leigh has fulfilled his sacred duties in a variety of ways, sometimes attempting to burn down local businessmen; sometimes saying that what the citizens of Colorado Springs think has no bearing on his decision making (about the budget); sometimes not-saying (but acting and voting like) Mayor Steve Bach could sneeze and Leigh would be first with a tissue and a blessing.

But whatever role he serves in city government, be it lord or lickspittle, Leigh does it full speed ahead, seemingly oblivious to the impression he creates. And there's no better example of this than the dear man's Twitter account. It reads like a combination of texts you send to your friend to make them uncomfortable, and ... actually, that's it.

In fact, I'm, like, 83-percent sure that Leigh either means to text almost everything that shows up, or he means to aim each message at a specific person. In reality, he does neither, instead offering the public quality insights into the democratic process like this, from Nov. 13: "I must be a panhandler because I'm addicted to sex, too." Or, from April: "I was wondering what cologne she was wearing."

He's even drawn the ultimate, uh, something — a parody Twitter account: @NotTimLeigh, who summed the councilor up pretty well today: "All these ballot issues on @CSUtilities! Hmm. Can't oppose ALL of them, or I'll look like @COSCityCouncil's Dr. No. @mayorstevebach help!"

But the saga continues. Some of Leigh's tweets are just question marks wrapped up in non-disclosure agreements. "Tru dat," he offered yesterday. "You are a bad boy," from a few weeks ago, then: "Where's Waldo? Where's Councilman Leigh? Both are good board games."

Board games. There you go. That's what you possibly get to vote for in the next election, Colorado Springs: A man with his finger squarely on the pulse of his own neck. As he gifted us in March: "I'm a gang of one. A self directed posse."

Of course, the mayor might disagree with that.

You'll be shocked to learn that despite the $9.7 billion aid package aimed at post-Superstorm Sandy insurance claims passing the 100-member U.S. Senate unanimously, unlike 354 of their colleagues, 67 Republicans voted against it in the House of Representatives; and of course one of them is the esteemed representative from Colorado's 5th Congressional District: Congressman Doug Lamborn.

"In the House, all of the votes against the aid came from Republicans, who have objected that no cuts in other programs had been identified to pay for the measure despite the nation’s long-term deficit problem," reports the New York Times. "The 67 Republicans who voted against the measure included 17 freshman lawmakers, suggesting that the new class will provide support to the sizable group of anti-spending conservatives already in the House."

Possibly unrelated, possibly not — possibly just fist-clenchingly, stomach-churningly moronic — Lamborn issued a statement earlier in the day all about how he was going to help those down on their luck.

"In the new Congress, my Republican colleagues and I in the House will continue to pass bills to help grow the economy and create jobs," he says. "This will include promoting job expansion by simplifying the tax code, strengthening energy production, and letting the free market prevail over picking winners and losers. We will also need to make responsible cuts to some government programs and reform others to ensure we don’t pass on a job-killing debt to our children and grandchildren.”

Interestingly, as our Pam Zubeck reported, if things had gone another way, the bill Lamborn voted against might have contained $125 million for post-Waldo Canyon Fire efforts.

• Pam Zubeck
• Damage from the Waldo fire will take years to repair, including here at the Flying W Ranch.

Devastating wildfires last year, including the Waldo Canyon Fire, have created a lot of headaches for property owners near federal forest lands, as well as for cities who rely on mountain reservoirs for water supplies.

That's why Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., promoted adding $125 million for emergency watershed protection to the disaster funding bill to support Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts.

That allocation was contained in the Senate bill, which expired on Tuesday when the House of Representatives adjourned for the year without acting on the bill.

The money now has to be included in the House version if the funding is to be made available, which won't happen until after the new Congress is sworn in later this month.

“In the West, we all know how precious water is — especially right now during the worst drought in years,” Bennet said in a news release. “That is why the Colorado delegation came together in a bipartisan and bicameral way to fight for these valuable resources at the end of the last Congress. The EWP program can help Colorado communities that are recovering from the devastating fires this summer, including damages that threaten water supplies and increase the risk of flooding. The Senate showed bipartisan support for Colorado and other states struck by disaster and I urge the House of Representatives to include these resources as well.”

Colorado Springs Utilities relies heavily on Rampart Range Reservoir, where fire crept to its shortline during the Waldo fire in June and July. Mitigation there will potentially cost millions of dollars in coming years.

In a statement on his website, Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., joined Bennet in expressing concern about the House's inaction.

I am concerned that, despite weeks of bipartisan work on this critical disaster legislation, the House has declined to even consider this proposal to fund watershed remediation efforts in Colorado and across the West. Confronting the lasting effects of the High Park and Waldo Canyon fires is the fiscally responsible approach and could save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars over the long term.

If the House does not finish its work, we will need to start over from scratch in the new session of Congress. Even if the House declines to provide this timely assistance, I remain committed to helping the communities whose critical water supplies continue to suffer because of last summer's devastating and record-breaking wildfires. I will work with my colleagues of both parties to ensure the Emergency Watershed Protection Program is not forgotten in the new year.

The EWP money would be used in part to repair watershed damage in El Paso, Larimer and Weld counties, Bennet's press release said.

Other lawmakers who supported the allocation include Reps. Lamborn, Jared Polis, and Cory Gardner.

The EWP program falls under the jurisdiction of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Natural Resources and Forestry, a subcommittee Bennet chairs.