Colorado has been impacted severely by wildfires in recent years. And, as climate change continues to intensify, the threat  is growing. 

Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, recently co-sponsored a sweeping new bill to expand, and speed up, wildfire prevention efforts across the country. It’s called the Fix Our Forests Act.  

It calls for more funding for research to prevent wildfires, the creation of a central wildfire response center for the whole country, and the removal of more dead and diseased trees on federal land.  

It also calls for the time allowed to review or push back on these forest management projects to be much shorter. “The difference is it won't take five years or eight years... People will be able to do it fast enough so that they can really respond to this tinderbox situation we find ourselves in, in of the American West,” Hickenlooper said.  

Some critics have taken issue with the bill. They say it would undermine environmental protections and could lead to more logging.  

Host Erin O’Toole asked Hickenlooper to talk about the bill, address some of that criticism, and talk about why this proposal makes sense now.

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Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.