Montana: Policy changes needed to help fight wildfire

The bipartisan committee endorsed about 30 legislative bill drafts, most of which don't involve increased state funding. The committee, chaired by Sen. John Cobb of Augusta, focused on prevention and shared responsibility. For example: • Senate Bill 144 provides for implementing statewide building standards for residences in the wildland-urban interface, the most costly area for fire suppression and the area with highest risk of loss to life and homes. The wildland-urban interface refers to rural or forested areas where subdivisions and other city-like development has taken place. • House Joint Resolution 7 calls on the federal government to mount "safe and aggressive initial attack on wildfires on all federal lands that have the potential to move to state or private land. ..." • Several draft bills would require insurance carriers to provide information on fire risk reduction to their customers and to offer discounts to customers in the wildland-urban interface who meet fire risk reduction standards. Another bill would offer tax credits to homeowners who take defined fire risk reduction actions....