WA Congress members support Chelan County Commissioners' wildfire letter
Washington Congress members shared their public support in shifting how the federal government approaches fighting wildfires following a letter calling for changes from Chelan County Commissioners.
U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier met with Leavenworth, Chelan County and other firefighting officials Wednesday afternoon to discuss ongoing efforts to help the county following this latest wildfire season.
Chelan County Commissioner Shon Smith attended Wednesday's meeting and discussed with her the letter addressed to the state's two U.S. Senators and Schrier.
Chelan County Commissioners Sept. 8 approved and signed a letter addressed to Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, as well as Schrier, which included recommendations for mitigating and fighting wildfires falls separated into three categories: "improved forest management and treatments," "increase air assets and firefighting personnel for initial attacks," and "postfire mitigation and restoration."
Commissioners wrote in the final version of the letter that the county has lived with wildfires for too many seasons.
"Our communities living with this is not a viable option," they wrote. "Over the past 10 years, Chelan County has lost over 500,000 acres of land due to wildfires, approximately 30% of the county. As a result, residents have struggled with the financial, economic, physical, emotional, and social impacts of wildfires."
The Little Giant Fire, now the largest fire in the county's history and currently the largest in the state, has burned over 170,000 acres and is 81% contained.
The commissioners are asking Congress to "drastically increase the pace, scale, and investments in these forest treatments, removing the overabundance of smaller trees, clearing underbrush, and applying prescribed fire following the strategic thinning."
Commissioners wrote that "efficient sawmilling is necessary" and the Forest Service should supply the removed materials to "purchasers."
More air resources to initially attack fires is the second request in the commissioner's letter. Commissioners are calling for an increase to air assets to provide an "overwhelming initial attack" no later than in the first 24 hours.
And lastly, the commissioner requests post-fire restoration given the problems downed trees make as well as how severely burned areas facilitate landslides and debris flows during heavy rain or "rain-on-snow events," according to the letter.
Murray said in a statement Friday she would be ensure that Chelan County and the entire state has a voice in funding negotiations.
"I will do everything in my power to ensure Chelan County has every federal resource it needs to rebuild and our first responders continue to have the support they need to be prepared," she said.
Schrier said on Wednesday following her meeting with local officials that she agrees with the commissioner's letter and "more than happy to do my bes with my colleagues to make sure that we we follow through on that."
The congresswoman noted that the 2026 Farm Bill currently held up in the U.S. Senate but already passed in the House of Representatives has terms for how resources should be utilized to attack wildfires within 24 hours of every fire's start.
"I would prefer to have that decision in the hands of the experts and the firefighters themselves," she said. "But I agree with all the principles in (the letter)."
She said that tackling the issue of forest mitigation is already a known recipe and that Congress just needs to increase scale which means more people and more funding.
"I'm not saying that's easy, but it's a way to proceed," she said.
Smith said following Wednesday's meeting with Schrier that he felt the congresswoman was very receptive to their concerns and recommendations.
Cantwell also voiced her support for the commissioner's letter and said that more must be done to break this current cycle of "megafires" season after season.
"The County Commissioners are right: we need a more aggressive, long-term approach to protect our communities, strengthen forest health, and direct federal resources where they will make the greatest difference," she said in a statement.