SALEM, Ore. — The Oregon Legislature will convene in Salem on Thursday for a special session solely focused on how to pay last summer's historic wildfire season.
A record 1.9 million acres burned across the state, surpassing the previous record set during the 2020 Labor Day wildfires. It's also nearly double the acreage of any other year in the past 30 years. The devastation accrued a cost upwards of $350 million, making it the most expensive wildfire season in Oregon history. The wildfires destroyed at least 42 homes and 132 other structures.
Disaster relief funds from the federal government will "eventually" cover more than half of the costs, according to Gov. Tina Kotek's office. But Oregon still needs to find a way to finish paying the bills quickly.
Kotek called for the special session on Nov. 26.
"I am grateful to legislative leaders for coming to consensus that our best course of action is to ensure the state’s fire season costs are addressed and bills paid by the end of the calendar year," Kotek said in a news release last month.
She is asking the legislature to free up a total of $218 million to the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) and the Oregon Department of the State Fire Marshal to address the costs of the record-breaking wildfires. A portion of that includes paying firefighters and contractors who helped battle the wildfires for months.
ODF said in September that it had exhausted its funds and turned to Oregon's Emergency Board, which allocates emergency money to state departments when the state legislature isn't in session. The emergency board approved a $47.5 million request for ODF from a variety of funding sources.
On Monday, interim committee hearings previewing legislation began in Salem, ahead of Oregon's next regular legislative session starting on Jan. 21. The session will run through June 29, unless lawmakers decide to adjourn sooner.
A separate group studying how to provide long-term funding for wildfire costs — informally known as Fire 35 — will present their ideas during the regular session.
Evan Watson contributed to this report.
