Heinrich, Vasquez bill meant to boost aerial firefighting passes Congress

Jun. 3—Led by a New Mexico senator and congressman, bipartisan legislation that would allow the Department of Defense to sell excess aircraft and aircraft parts to be used for wildfire suppression is headed to the president's desk after sailing through the House on Tuesday.
With the president's signature, the legislation could help aerial firefighting companies experiencing shortages in airplane parts, including those based in New Mexico. Several legislators from western states, including New Mexico, Washington, Montana, Arizona and California, were vocal supporters of the bill. Catastrophic wildfires in the West have displaced communities and cost cities millions in recent years, most prominently the Los Angeles fires in January, which killed at least 29.
"This lifesaving authority protects our aerial firefighters and also brings in revenue from military aircraft that are not needed," said Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., after he called for a suspension of the rules, so the House could vote on the bill. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the legislation will reduce government spending by less than $500,000.
Sens. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., introduced the Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act in the Senate, where it passed unanimously in April. Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M., authored the bill in the House. Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., and Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., were both cosponsors.
An Albuquerque-based aerial firefighting company, 10 Tanker Air Carrier, could directly benefit from the bill, Vasquez said.
"They currently don't have a sufficient supply of spare engines and aircraft parts. In particular, there's a shortage of brakes for some of their existing aircraft," Vasquez said.
From 1996 until 2005, DOD had permission to sell its excess aircraft or aircraft parts to people or entities that contract with the government to fight wildfires from the air at a fair market value, as long as the plane parts are used only for wildfire suppression. The authority was reauthorized from 2012 to 2017, then lapsed again. Why it lapsed, Vasquez said he could only guess at.
Since the authority lapsed, taxpayer-owned aircraft parts that the Defense Department no longer needed were being turned into scrap, Vasquez said. He believes President Donald Trump is likely to sign the bill.
"I urge the president to immediately sign the Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act, which is urgently needed to expand the operations of very large air tankers that have proven absolutely essential to firefighters battling large wildfires in New Mexico and across the West," Heinrich said in a statement.
Very large air tankers are able to deliver 9,400 gallons of fire retardant at once, and the U.S. Forest Service manages contracts for the airtankers, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
"When we send hotshot crews into a hot, burning fire in places like the Gila National Forest or the Carson or anywhere else across the state, they need that aerial support," Vasquez said.

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