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This month, The Mountain Pact led more than 160 elected officials from across the Western United States in calling on their state attorneys general to hold the federal government accountable for its reckless gutting of our nation’s wildfire preparedness.
In a letter, the leaders asked the AGs to help defend their communities from potentially catastrophic wildfires by reviewing the legality of government actions that have eroded federal wildlife preparedness, and to ensure the federal government fulfills its responsibilities for protecting life and property in the face of increasingly severe wildfires.
“Wildfire preparedness is a matter of life and death in rural Western communities, and we depend on federal agencies being able to keep our homes, families, and property safe when wildfires strike,” said Mountain Pact Executive Director Anna Peterson. “But the federal government’s reckless and illegal firings of thousands of public land agency employees, as well as budget cuts and other shortsighted management practices, have left our communities vulnerable. We need the federal government to manage and mitigate the real risks wildfires post to our communities, instead of focusing on vindictive culture wars that waste time and resources and leave our communities less safe.”
The letter was covered by E&E/Politico, KNAU, Aspen Times, Post Independent, and the Grand Junction Sentinel.
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