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JAC adds one-time fire funding, approves second single-engine air tanker and replenishes loan authority for state lands
Summary
The Joint Appropriations Committee approved one-time general-fund replenishment for fire suppression, increased loan authority and added appropriations to expand aerial firefighting capacity and shore up the Mineral Royalty Grant program.
The Joint Appropriations Committee adopted several changes to the State Lands and Investments section of the budget aimed at addressing wildfire funding shortfalls and operational needs.
Why it matters: Following a record fire season, the committee acted to replenish emergency fire accounts, expand aerial firefighting capacity with an additional single-engine air tanker (SEAT) and adjust loan and grant program limits — moves that affect firefighting readiness and local governments’ access to mineral royalty grants.
Representative (Chair) Bair explained that JAC adopted the governor’s recommendation for a one-time appropriation of $3,000,000 (a mixture of school foundation and permanent land funds) to pay estimated state trust property taxes, and added contingencies tying some appropriations to passage of Senate File 68 and Senate File 81. The committee approved a one-time $20,000,000 general-fund replenishment of the Emergency Fire Suppression Account and an additional $20,000,000 to repay prior fire borrowing (2024 session law referenced in committee comments). Bair described the measures as intended to “help offset what happened last year.”
The committee reduced the governor’s requested $20,169,592 for the Mineral Royalty Grant (MRG) program by $5,196,592, leaving $15,000,000 in one-time general funds to the MRG program; members noted prior obligations against previously granted MRG dollars.
On aerial firefighting capacity, the committee added $2,750,000 GF, one full-time equivalent position and four seasonal part-time positions, and authorized acquisition/operation of a single-engine air tanker (SEAT). In floor discussion, members described SEATs as single-engine aircraft used for initial attack; Representative Bridal asked whether the asset was a helicopter or plane and where it would be stationed. The presenter said the aircraft would be a rotor or single-rotor aircraft with bucket capacity (40- or 90-gallon bucket cited in discussion) and tentatively stationed “up in coal country” to serve mountainous regions including the Big Horns and border areas. Members discussed how quicker, locally available aerial assets had limited fires’ spread in the prior season.
The committee also corrected loan-authority language to increase the loan limit to $30,000,000 for the relevant account (language cleanup) after an initial technical reduction; members emphasized the change as a cleanup rather than a new appropriation.
What’s next: Committee members said the appropriations are tied to implementation language and court or statutory outcomes (Senate Files 68 and 81 were cited as triggers for one footnote), and they signaled additional long-term budget work on wildfire mitigation and sustainability in future sessions.
Ending: After discussion the committee closed the State Lands and Investments section and moved forward in the budget review.
