Third wildfire bill sent to House

SHERIDAN — Three bills aimed at wildfire restoration and recovery now await consideration in the Wyoming House of Representatives.

Senate File 195, “Small business emergency bridge loan program,” would serve as immediate assistance for small businesses in Wyoming impacted by natural disasters such as fires, floods, blizzards and tornadoes.

Many of those businesses would likely be in agriculture, though not limited to that industry, Senate President Bo Biteman, R-Ranchester, said.

“I thought about this bill when I was out fighting fire this summer on the Elk Fire and just spending days out there looking at the devastation,” Biteman, the bill’s primary sponsor said.

The Senate voted 29-1 to approve the bill early Wednesday afternoon.

The program would operate similarly to Florida’s Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program, which the state’s governor deployed as hurricanes ravaged the state in the fall. Its application in Wyoming, though, will be beneficial.

“We think this is a solid program that can work well in Wyoming for future disasters, which are almost inevitable and likely to happen in the state,” said Wyoming Stock Growers Association Executive Vice President Jim Magagna.

The original version of the bill included $50 million in funding for Wyoming’s bridge loans, which would have been worth up to $1.5 million apiece and administered by the Wyoming Department of Agriculture.

However, following an amendment by Sen. Larry Hicks, R-Baggs, loan funding was halved and administration was relocated.

The bill now includes $25 million in funding for Wyoming’s bridge loans, which could be worth up to $750,000 apiece with 0% interest. The Office of State Lands and Investments would administer the loans. Local banks or credit unions would help facilitate the process — by reviewing and recommending applications — in exchange for a 2% origination fee, half paid by the loan applicant and the other half paid by the state.

Hicks said OSLI already has experience administering agriculture and farm loans; Wyoming Department of Agriculture Director Doug Miyamoto said the department has never administered a loan program.

These people already know how to do ag loans or to do loans for these similar purposes,” Hicks said.

OSLI would be required to review the financial institutions’ recommendations and determine whether to disperse the loan within five days. Doing so would help keep businesses and ranches operating.

“It’s a quick rescue for those who have suffered an emergency,” Sen. Tim Salazar, R-Riverton, said.

Biteman’s bill will be sent to the House and await introduction and committee referral.

Other fire relief and recovery resources remain standing

Biteman’s bill is one of several aimed at relief and recovery for natural disasters, largely stemming from the 2024 fire season, when 2,167 fires left more than 850,000 acres of Wyoming scorched.

While the two chambers of the Wyoming Legislature agreed on the funding amount, the House and Senate differed on how to use and apply wildfire rehabilitation and restoration funding in the state’s supplemental budget.

Approved in the House was a combination of a loan and grant program; the body approved $40 million for grants and $60 million for loans. The Senate, meanwhile, approved a $100 million grant program. The differences are up for negotiation when a Joint Conference Committee meets to finalize the supplemental budget bill.

Two other Senate files await consideration in the House.

Senate File 152, “Wildfire management-task force and state forester,” would replenish the state’s wildfire recovery accounts, amend the duties of the state forester and create a task force. The Senate voted 24-6 in favor of the bill; it was referred to the House Appropriations Committee where it had not been reviewed at the time of reporting.

The 11-member task force would have the 2025 and 2026 interim sessions to complete its work and offer recommendations to the governor, as well as the legislature’s Joint Agriculture, State and Public Lands and Water Resources Committee and the Joint Appropriations Committee.

To replenish the various recovery accounts, the bill includes a total of just more than $42.25 million, including $20 million for the Emergency Fire Suppression Account. State Forester Kelly Norris estimated an average fire year requires just $7 million from the EFSA; according to a memorandum from the Wyoming State Forestry Division, the state obligated $54.465 million from the EFSA to 2024 fires.

Senate File 148, “Fire suppression and restoration funding,” is similar to Gov. Mark Gordon’s original $130 million supplemental budget request for wildfire rehabilitation and restoration. The Senate voted 27-3 in favor of SF148; the bill has not been introduced and referred to a House committee at the time of reporting.

SF148, sponsored by Sen. Barry Crago, R-Buffalo, includes $100 million for grants to restore grass and vegetation on private and public lands, $10 million for watershed health and $30 million for the EFSA, among other fund allocations. Crago’s bill would also create a nine-member steering committee to oversee the grant application process.

This story was published on February 13, 2025.