CONGRESSMEN SALAZAR, UDALL SEEK ANSWERS ON U.S. FOREST SERVICE FIREFIGHTING AIRCRAFT

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WASHINGTON, DC – Congressmen John Salazar (CO-3) and Mark Udall (CO-2) today asked U.S. Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth for a briefing on what the agency is doing to prepare its firefighting aircraft for the upcoming fire season. 

After two deadly tanker crashes in California and Colorado in 2002, there have been serious concerns about the air tanker fleet.  A blue-ribbon panel created to investigate the crashes reported serious concerns about the safety and adequacy of the aging fleet and recommended that it be modernized and that other steps be taken to improve matters.

In a letter to Bosworth, the Colorado lawmakers raise concerns about the adequacy and safety of the aging fleet and how the Forest Service and other federal agencies plan to respond to fire emergencies when there are fewer large tankers available. 

“Colorado and other western states face a potentially serious wildfire season because of the prolonged drought and other problems.  So, we are concerned about the Forest Service’s readiness to adequately respond to this threat — especially as regards the availability of aircraft.”

“Because this is so important to Colorado and our constituents, we would like to know more about the way the Forest Service has responded to the 2002 report, the current status of the air tanker fleet to respond to upcoming wildfire events, other aircraft that the Forest Service may have available to help augment the fleet, obstacles and constraints to improving the safety and availability of air support for fighting wildfires, and any other information about the upcoming severity of this fire season and the Forest Service’s response planning and capabilities,” the Congressmen state in their letter. 

Salazar and Udall whose districts include most of the forest lands in the state, also are asking their respective Committee Chairmen - Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) of the House Agriculture Committee and Richard Pombo (R-CA) of the House Resources Committee –  to hold oversight hearings on the issue.