Oregon faces disaster as lawmakers scramble for wildfire funding

In Oregon, a special session convened on December 12, 2024, to address the financial implications of the state's record wildfire season from earlier this year, which resulted in extensive damage and high costs. Governor Tina Kotek announced the session due to the fires that devastated nearly 1.9 million acres and caused over $350 million in firefighting expenses, marking it as the costliest wildfire season in Oregon's history. While over half of these costs will be reimbursed by the federal government, state funds are urgently needed to settle bills in the meantime. The wildfires, particularly affecting eastern Oregon, destroyed 42 homes and damaged significant areas of grazing land. The Durkee Fire emerged as the largest wildfire in the nation at one point, stressing the resources of local firefighting agencies. Governor Kotek had declared a statewide emergency in July 2024, invoking the Emergency Conflagration Act multiple times, which facilitated faster responses to the fires. For the special session, Kotek requested lawmakers to approve $218 million to support the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Oregon Department of the State Fire Marshal. This funding aims to cover ongoing operations and to pay contractors who assisted during the firefighting efforts. Deliberations in the upcoming legislative session in January will focus on establishing long-term funding strategies to manage wildfire-related costs exacerbated by worsening climate conditions. Additionally, Kotek emphasized the need for increased preparedness and mitigation funding of $130 million in the forthcoming two-year budget, alongside a one-time request to redirect $150 million from the state’s rainy-day fund to support fire agencies. The dire outcomes of the 2024 wildfire season underscore a growing trend of escalating natural disasters in the U.S. West, prompting a necessary reevaluation of funding and resource allocation for fire management efforts.