Insurance premiums are rising. Homes – even whole neighborhoods – are being damaged and destroyed. Smoke is affecting health.
Wildfire has numerous consequences for the West and, with many statehouses now in session, lawmakers across the region are trying to respond.
Now there’s a new tool to track reform efforts.
“I think it is one of the most significant issues that Western states should be dealing with,” said Howard Watts, a Democratic Nevada Assemblymember, adding, “We need a regional approach because fires do not respect any state or local government boundaries.”
Watts is also the co-chair of the Western branch of the Council of State Governments’ wildfire and disaster preparedness committee.
They recently developed an online bill tracker that allows lawmakers and the public across the West to see what wildfire-related reforms their counterparts have recently passed or are currently debating.
