EVERETT — Greenline Insights, a nonpartisan research firm, released a new study on Tuesday outlining the full potential of HB 1168, a 2021 bipartisan bill that called for an eight-year, $500 million investment in wildfire prevention.
The study comes on the heels of a major funding cut. While confronting budget deficits last year, the Legislature invested less than half of the dollars put in during previous biennium cycles.
The new study, funded by The Nature Conservancy and Sustainable Northwest, shows that when fully funded at $125 million biannually, the bill can prevent over 31,000 acres of severe wildfires, support nearly 1,100 jobs statewide, generate $174 million in economic output and help the state avoid $1 billion in long-term wildfire damages.
The Legislature initially invested $130 million toward the goal during the 2021-23 biennium and $115 million for the following cycle. But this year, only $60 million was set aside.
When the bill passed in 2021, the Washington Department of Natural Resources created the Wildfire Response, Forest Restoration, and Community Resilience Account to track and distribute the state dollars into different wildfire prevention, management and response efforts.
“Over 2.8 million acres of Washington forests are in critical need of restoration. Before passing HB 1168 funding, the state Department of Natural Resources predicted it would take 53 years to restore these forests,” a press release from The Nature Conservancy stated. “The goal of HB 1168 has been to restore at least 1.25 million acres over 20 years. Washington has restored over 90,000 acres since the passage of HB 1168.”
But to continue its work, the Department of Natural Resources needs to stay the course or even increase its efforts to conduct prescribed burns and thin certain forests, the nonprofit’s release said.
Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove echoed these concerns through 2025 during his efforts to secure another $60 million to get the bill’s goals back on track.
“The cost of treating our lands and forests to prevent the next catastrophic wildfire is pennies compared to the cost of suppression. I understand the budget challenges will force the legislature to make difficult choices, but public safety and public health are basic, core functions of government,” he said in an email. “Without fully restoring funding, the impact could be larger, more catastrophic, more costly wildfires.”
Upthegrove has pushed for the state to funnel funds from the Climate Commitment Act to fill the budget gap, reasoning that climate change has played a large role in the increased devastation that wildfire seasons have caused the state.
The state law, also passed in 2021, is designed to reduce pollution to 95% of 1990 levels by 2050.
The law works by putting a price on greenhouse gas emissions and capping the amount of emissions allowed in a year. Companies then have to compete to buy allowances for emissions or pay fines for failing to meet set limits. As years pass, the state issues fewer and fewer allowances, forcing companies to adopt cleaner practices.
The revenue generated from the allowances and fines is then invested into climate change solutions and resilience projects, such as reducing wildfire risks and improving forest health, with an emphasis on supporting communities historically overburdened by climate change effects.
In previous biennia, Climate Commitment Act dollars didn’t support the HB 1168 budget. But in 2025, $40 million of the $60 million came from the act.
If the Department of Natural Resources can find the funding, the Greenline study said it’ll pay off in the long run.
At full funding, $5 million more than the scenario where Upthegrove secures another $60 million, the bill has a benefit-cost ratio of over 8 to 1, meaning for every $1 spent in preventative measures, the state saves roughly $8 in the event of firefighting costs, property damages and economic disruption caused by a major fire.
“Wildfire has a cost. The question is whether we will invest in preventative work to reduce the risks to communities and severity of wildfires or face much costlier suppression and recovery bills in the near future,” said Executive Director of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation Cody Desautel in a statement.
Eliza Aronson: 425-339-3434; eliza.aronson@heraldnet.com; X: @ElizaAronson.
Eliza’s stories are supported by the Herald’s Environmental and Climate Reporting Fund.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
