News Release
Governor Martz Expresses Concern With Termination of Wildfire Air Tanker Program
5/7/2004
Kris Goss
406-444-3862
kgoss@state.mt.us
Program
HELENA - Governor Judy Martz today sent the attached letter to United
States
Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman expressing her concern with the
decision to terminate the air tanker program as part of the federal
government's wildfire program. Because parts of Montana are already
experiencing fire, Governor Martz plans to work swiftly with the United
States Forest Service and her fellow governors throughout the West to
find
alternatives to the decision.
Complete text of the letter is attached.
***************************
May 10, 2004
The Honorable Ann M. Veneman
Secretary of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Avenue
Whitten Building, Suite 200A
Washington, DC 20250
Dear Secretary Veneman,
As you might expect, I am writing with regard to the recent decision to
terminate the air tanker program as part of the federal government's
wild
fire program. Needless to say, this decision is going to have a serious
impact on the State of Montana.
Montana has experienced a series of historic fire seasons within the
last
four years. Fortunately, we have been able to prevent small startup
fires
from exploding into uncontrollable wildfires due in part to the use of
these
air tankers.
As you know, air tankers have also been a critical component of the
firefighting force on large uncontrolled fires. These air tankers have
been
extremely valuable in saving property while helping protect the lives
the
firefighting force on the ground.
The decision to terminate a critical tool the State of Montana uses to
fight
fire will seriously limit our effectiveness in an extreme fire danger
year
like the one we are entering. As Governor, I would like to work with
you in
finding resolution to this difficult situation.
Specifically, I would like to identify options that will provide
opportunities to return some percentage of these aircraft to service.
While
safety remains the number one concern, we must find avenues to use safe
air
tankers with exemplary records. Grounding the fleet indefinitely
creates a
void in our fire fighting strategy that will be difficult to fill and
could
exacerbate problems related to the safety of our firefighting forces.
There must be other options. I will be working closely with several of
my
fellow Western governors to find reasonable solutions to this problem. I
look forward to working with you and Chief Bosworth to ensure that we
move
into this coming fire season with every possible tool at our disposal.
Sincerely,
JUDY MARTZ
Governor
CC: Honorable Gail Norton, Secretary of the Interior
Dale Bosworth, Chief, United States Forest Service
Senator Max Baucus
Senator Conrad Burns
Representative Dennis Rehberg
# # #
Kris Goss
Education Policy Advisor and Deputy Communications Director
Office of the Governor
State Capitol
Helena, MT 59620
(406) 444-3862
kgoss@state.mt.us
