Rio Blanco County is facing more than $24 million in damage to energy infrastructure in the county after the Elk and Lee fires ravaged more than 152,000 acres in August, Gov. Jared Polis said Friday, in a letter to President Donald Trump to request federal recovery funding.
The money, if granted, would help the county rebuild multiple public utilities that provide electricity in the Piceance Basin, which produces about 2% to 5% of the U.S.’ daily consumption of natural gas, according to the letter.
Oil and gas companies are the most significant job providers in Rio Blanco County and drive the region’s economy, Polis said.
“Without support to recover local utility infrastructure, stalled production risks the local economy, major rate increases on Coloradans, and local economic collapse,” the governor said in a statement announcing his request.
The wildfires were both sparked by lightning Aug. 2 and rapidly raced across parched land. The Lee fire became the fifth largest wildfire in state history. Hundreds of firefighters from across the country worked to control the flames through the month and when monsoons finally arrived, mudslides and debris flowed down the burned area, causing more devastation in the Western Slope county.
Polis declared a disaster emergency the following day to unlock federal funding for immediate suppression efforts.
The unique geology of the Piceance Basin, where gas is trapped between dense layers of sandstone and shale formations, makes production very vulnerable to disruptions in the electrical grid, Polis wrote in his letter.
“For a tight gas field, a power outage is not a temporary inconvenience, it is a complete and immediate production shutdown,” he said.
Electricity in the area is provided by two rural electric associations — White River Electric Association and Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association — and both sustained extensive damage from the fires.
“The remaining tertiary backup transmission line is now the only line sustaining this industry,” Polis wrote, adding that the line has been de-energized for most of the last two decades and has not been maintained.
The fires also brought massive debris flow that have clogged roads, bridges and culverts that could isolate rural residents and hinder emergency response, as well as disrupt the agricultural economy that relies on these routes for support, the letter said.
There are about 300 trees on or near public and government property that threaten nearby communities, according to the letter.
Without the federal assistance, Coloradans could face increased electricity costs and ongoing hazards from the fires, Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet said in a statement, also included in the news release from Polis, also a Democrat.
Rio Blanco County, where many make their livelihood through farming and ranching, also lost hundreds of acres of grazing and farming land, the letter said. Low quality and low quantities of water is also putting drinking water and other county resources at risk, as well as the health of livestock.
Rep. Jeff Hurd, R-Grand Junction, said the money would help restore essential services in the county.
“The devastation from the Lee and Elk wildfires and mudslides in Rio Blanco County is heartbreaking,” Hurd said in a statement.
“Families have lost homes, businesses are gone, and critical infrastructure has been severely damaged. Federal assistance is urgently needed to help communities rebuild, restore essential services and protect livelihoods tied to agriculture, energy and outdoor recreation.”