New class of wildland firefighters receives their "Red Card," braces for fire season

Gov. Jay Inslee visited Washington State Department of Natural Resources hand crews completing a practical exam last Tuesday (June 28). The exam brought the crews one step closer to attaining their "Red Cards" certifying them as wildlands firefighters.

"Don't be the spark," said DNR's Wildfire Communications Manager Thomas Kyle-Milward. "Roughly 90 percent of wildfires are human-caused. Take care when you're out recreating in natural spaces."

Once the weather heats up and fuels dry out, so begins another wildfire season. DNR provides wildfire prevention reminders including checking for burn restrictions before starting campfires, not parking hot vehicles in dry grassy areas, and using nylon or plastic weed whackers instead of metal ones.

Supreme Court Weakens

Federal Climate Efforts

Last Thursday's West Virginia v. EPA ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court dealt a major blow to the ability of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to regulate power plants. In response, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee joined other representatives of the U.S. Climate Alliance to respond and decry the ruling.

Inslee hosted a media availability on Thursday morning to discuss the ruling.

"This decision essentially kneecapped the ability of the Environmental Protection Agency to restrain pollution from coal-fired plants," said Inslee. "This is a health danger that we are now exposed to, and all Americans are exposed to."

Inslee and 23 other participating governors in the U.S. Climate Alliance have pledged to collectively achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 at the latest. Washington is among the leading states in the nation with major policies underway to cap carbon emissions and promote cleaner fuels, clean buildings and clean transportation.

"We are deeply disappointed in this regressive decision, but it only hardens our resolve to act with the boldness and urgency the climate crisis demands. At a time when we're seeing devastating droughts, wildfires, and storms become the norm, the Supreme Court has sided with polluters at the expense of the American people," said Alliance co-chairs Inslee, NY Gov. Kathy Hochul and CA Gov. Gavin Newsom.