State Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz says a new tax is needed to help protect Washington during the upcoming wildfire season. But the plan is getting a cold reception from Republicans at the state Legislature.
“Washington state has a wildfire crisis,” Franz said, standing in front of fire trucks and helicopters in Tumwater.
Franz said she’s seen, firsthand, the destruction of the fires in California. She argues that a similar crisis could easily happen in Washington state.
“We all know the name Paradise,” she said. “A town that literally burned off the face of the Earth. And here in Washington, we face the same threats as Paradise, California.”
Franz is proposing a new way to bring in money each year for firefighting and fire prevention -- a tax.