Alaska 2025-2026 Regular Session

Alaska Senate Bill SJR18 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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2	2	SJR018A -1- SJR 18
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5	5	34-LS0841\N
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11	11	SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 18
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13	13	IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
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15	15	THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION
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17	17	BY THE SENATE RESOURCES COMMITTEE
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19	19	Introduced: 4/2/25
20	20	Referred: Resources
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23	23	A RESOLUTION
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25	25	Urging the Governor, the Department of Natural Resources, division of forestry and fire 1
26	26	protection, the Department of Public Safety, municipalities of the state and relevant 2
27	27	wildfire planning and response agencies, and the Alaska delegation in Congress to 3
28	28	prepare for the 2025 wildfire season. 4
29	29	BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 5
30	30	WHEREAS the frequency and severity of wildfires in the state is increasing because 6
31	31	of the effects of lower precipitation and rising temperatures, leading to prolonged fire seasons; 7
32	32	and 8
33	33	WHEREAS the 2025 wildfire season presents an immediate and severe risk to 9
34	34	communities in wildland-urban interface areas, including Anchorage, Fairbanks, Kenai, 10
35	35	Soldotna, and other high-risk zones across the state, some of which have never experienced 11
36	36	wildfires and which contain dangerous fuel loads; and 12
37	37	WHEREAS the National Weather Service projects below-average precipitation levels 13
38	38	and continued dry conditions in regions of the state, exacerbating fire danger and making 14
39	39	proactive mitigation efforts critical; and 15 34-LS0841\N
40	40	SJR 18 -2- SJR018A
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43	43	WHEREAS limited water sources, difficult terrain, and constrained or single-access 1
44	44	routes to large residential areas in many communities pose significant challenges to ground-2
45	45	based firefighting and evacuation efforts; and 3
46	46	WHEREAS the costs of fighting a widespread fire increase significantly when crews 4
47	47	must be brought in from out of state, and providing quick, effective, locally sourced fire 5
48	48	suppression reduces costs for firefighting and reduces economic losses caused by a fire; and 6
49	49	WHEREAS there is a demonstrated need for improved aerial firefighting resources, 7
50	50	additional water reservoirs for bucket operations, and enhanced early detection of wildfires 8
51	51	and warning systems to support rapid response; and 9
52	52	WHEREAS community safety and preparedness depend on early and effective public 10
53	53	outreach, which could include expansion of public education programs like the Ready, Set, 11
54	54	Go! Program, engaging residents in annual inspections and preparation through a program 12
55	55	like Firewise USA, coordinating neighborhood evacuation planning and drills with local fire 13
56	56	stations, and other interagency coordination efforts; and 14
57	57	WHEREAS the role of local and state public information officers, in collaboration 15
58	58	with state and federal agencies, is to actively coordinate public education campaigns, enhance 16
59	59	emergency notifications, and facilitate communication between fire response agencies and the 17
60	60	public; and 18
61	61	WHEREAS past legislative efforts have underscored the importance of wildfire 19
62	62	mitigation funding, including appropriations granted for wildfire fuel reduction programs, 20
63	63	defensible space and fuel break initiatives, and support for local fire departments in high-risk 21
64	64	areas; 22
65	65	BE IT RESOLVED that, in preparation for the 2025 wildfire season, the Alaska State 23
66	66	Legislature urges the Governor, the Department of Natural Resources, division of forestry and 24
67	67	fire protection, and relevant municipal and local agencies to enhance wildfire preparedness 25
68	68	and response coordination by reviewing and developing comprehensive interagency wildfire 26
69	69	response plans specific to high-risk wildland-urban interface communities; conducting full 27
70	70	reviews of available response equipment, joint response agreeme
71	71	nts, and water resources; 28
72	72	identifying opportunities for additional water storage and access points; and inspecting and 29
73	73	treating aircraft landing zones and roadways, especially those that are single-access routes to 30
74	74	large residential populations, to minimize hazard trees, reduce sources of fuel for wildfires, 31 34-LS0841\N
75	75	SJR018A -3- SJR 18
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78	78	including fuel in rights-of-way, clear road and intersection obstructions, and repair roads that 1
79	79	are in poor condition to enable use of the roadways to support wildfire response and safe 2
80	80	evacuations; and be it 3
81	81	FURTHER RESOLVED that, in preparation for the 2025 wildfire season, the Alaska 4
82	82	State Legislature urges the Governor, the Department of Natural Resources, division of 5
83	83	forestry and fire protection, and relevant municipal and local agencies to expand public 6
84	84	outreach and education by implementing a statewide public awareness campaign on wildfire 7
85	85	risks and prevention strategies, which may include engaging residents and local fire 8
86	86	departments in a program like Firewise USA, inspections, and evacuation preparedness; and 9
87	87	promoting wildfire preparedness by launching an early detection campaign, promoting the 10
88	88	Ready, Set, Go! Program, and enhancing local notification and emergency news sources; and 11
89	89	be it 12
90	90	FURTHER RESOLVED that, in preparation for the 2025 wildfire season, the Alaska 13
91	91	State Legislature urges the Governor, the Department of Natural Resources, division of 14
92	92	forestry and fire protection, and relevant municipal and local agencies to conduct emergency 15
93	93	response and evacuation drills by organizing and funding multi-agency tabletop exercises and 16
94	94	live wildfire evacuation drills before May 1, 2025; and to model evacuation scenarios, 17
95	95	including planning for the possibility of single-access road closures, emergency vehicle 18
96	96	congestion, and multiple fires resulting from ember transport downwind; and be it 19
97	97	FURTHER RESOLVED that, in preparation for the 2025 wildfire season, the Alaska 20
98	98	State Legislature urges the Governor, the Department of Natural Resources, division of 21
99	99	forestry and fire protection, and relevant municipal and local agencies to bolster fire 22
100	100	suppression resources by securing additional ground and aerial firefighting assets and 23
101	101	stationing those assets close to high-risk areas during peak fire seasons; establishing new 24
102	102	water reservoirs and enhancing access to existing water sources for bucket and hose 25
103	103	operations in areas with limited local water supplies; and be it 26
104	104	FURTHER RESOLVED that, in preparation for the 2025 wildfire season, the Alaska 27
105	105	State Legislature urges the Governor, the Department of Natural Resources division of 28
106	106	forestry and fire protection, and relevant municipal and local agencies to improve fire 29
107	107	detection and early warning systems by implementing advanced fire detection technology to 30
108	108	improve response times and situational awareness and conducting community-wide tests of 31 34-LS0841\N
109	109	SJR 18 -4- SJR018A
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112	112	emergency notification systems to ensure reliability in crisis situations; and be it 1
113	113	FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges federal 2
114	114	representatives, including the Alaska delegation in Congress, to advocate for increased federal 3
115	115	funding and support for the state's wildfire prevention and mitigation efforts. 4
116	116	COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Michael Dunleavy, 5
117	117	Governor of the State of Alaska; the Honorable John Boyle, Commissioner, Department of 6
118	118	Natural Resources; the Honorable James Cockrell, Commissioner, Department of Public 7
119	119	Safey; the Honorable Suzanne LaFrance, Mayor of the Municipality of Anchorage; the 8
120	120	Honorable Glenda D. Ledford, Mayor of the City of Wasilla; the Honorable Steve Carrington, 9
121	121	Mayor of the City of Palmer; the Honorable David Pruhs, Mayor of the City of Fairbanks; the 10
122	122	Honorable Grier Hopkins, Mayor of the Fairbanks North Star Borough; the Honorable Brian 11
123	123	Gabriel, Mayor of the City of Kenai; the Honorable Paul Whitney, Mayor of the City of 12
124	124	Soldotna; the Honorable Peter Micciche, Mayor of the Kenai Peninsula Borough; Doug 13
125	125	Schrage, Fire Chief, Anchorage Fire Department; Chad VanOrmer, Regional Forester, Alaska 14
126	126	Region, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski 15
127	127	and the Honorable Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Nicholas Begich, U.S. 16
128	128	Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress. 17