Headwaters Economics
Executive Director of Headwaters Economics in Bozeman, Montana, an independent, nonpartisan research firm that has analyzed the costs of western wildfires for the past decade
PROFILE
Ray Rasker
Guest
FROM Ray Rasker
Which Way, L.A.?
Wildfires Rage across the West In the suburbs of Colorado Springs, residents are discovering what happens when a forest fire comes to town. Some cars are nothing but charred metal and some homes are burned to the ground, while, in the same neighborhood, other houses have not been touched. President Obama calls the Waldo Fire a "major disaster," while blazes rage in four other states as well. The federal government will pay for most of the fire-fighting. Critics say that’s one reason local governments allow housing developments too close to forests that are increasingly likely to burn.
To the Point
Forest Fires and Federal Money The worst fire in Colorado history is only halfway contained, and in the suburbs of Colorado Springs, residents and former residents are discovering what happens when a forest fire comes to town. Some cars are nothing but charred metal and some homes are burned to the ground, while, in the same neighborhood, other houses have not been touched. Fires are also raging in Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and South Dakota. Climate change is drying out the forests, creating fuel for fires expected to increase individual property loss, human misery and federal taxes. Studies show that local government agencies allow development near dense forests, knowing that the cost of fire-fighting will be covered by Washington. We update the current outbreaks and ask, is it politics that's preventing prudent planning?
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