December 11, 2019 3:40 a.m.
On Tuesday, Oregon’s U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley along with Congressman Greg Walden, welcomed the news that the U.S. Forest Service has awarded “call when needed” contracts to providers of wildfire-fighting large air tankers.
A release from the three members of Congress said in a September letter to Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen, they had pressed the Forest Service to award the contracts, which had been issued for solicitation back in July of 2018. The release said the CWN awards allow the Forest Service to put the approved aircraft into service when those aircraft are needed and do not require the agency to pay for those aircraft when they are not needed.
Wyden said that Oregonians need the broadest possible range of options when it comes to fighting wildfires that “threaten their lives, homes and businesses”. He said these contracts will help the Forest Service fight fires more effectively by providing access to “next generation large air tankers at lower rates, saving money as well for taxpayers”.
Merkley said the large air tankers will help the state “stay safe in the face of dangerous blazes”.
Walden said he applauded the Trump administration for hearing the concerns of rural Oregon and “prioritizing not only important assets like air tankers for fighting these fires, but also using the new forest management tools we provided to take action to prevent fires”.
Erickson Aero owner Jack Erickson thanked Wyden, Merkley and Walden for their help in getting the contract awarded.