This landscape should be covered with snow in December, but that’s not blowing snow, it’s dry ash from the Lee Fire burn scar southwest of Meeker. When the ash settles, it drifts like sand, further complicating recovery efforts and warning of additional flooding and debris flows in the future. KATHLEEN KELLEY PHOTO
RBC | It wasn’t the Christmas message Rio Blanco County were hoping for.
County officials learned Sunday, Dec. 21, that the request for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance funding to support wildfire recovery efforts had been denied at the federal level.
Following the Elk and Lee fires in August, state and county officials submitted a request for U.S. Department of Homeland Security FEMA assistance to help with recovery efforts. The request was sent to Washington, D.C., in late September.
As of press time, no specific reasons had been provided for the denial. State officials have indicated they intend to appeal the decision.
U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd, R-Colo., whose district includes Rio Blanco County, said in a statement that communities in western Colorado are facing “real human and economic consequences” from recent disasters.
“Local leaders and residents are seeking a consistent application of FEMA criteria so recovery efforts can move forward,” Hurd said.
The FEMA request cited an estimated $27 million in damages, including $23.6 million tied to electrical infrastructure owned by White River Electric Association (WREA) and Tri-State Generation and Transmission. The damaged infrastructure supplies power to large industrial producers of oil, natural gas and nahcolite — a mineral used to produce baking soda — in the Piceance Basin.
According to a press release from the state of Colorado, officials have demonstrated — and FEMA has validated — $27,491,064 in damages from the fires and subsequent mudslides, a figure expected to increase over time.
In providing documentation, Rio Blanco County could only claim damages that occurred within FEMA’s time window for the Public Assistance request. Even though later flooding can be directly attributed to the impacts from the fire, it could not be included in the damage inventory if it didn’t fit FEMA’s timeframe.
Some public confusion has centered on whether the county met FEMA’s thresholds for assistance. According to public statements, the request exceeded the minimum damage threshold for Public Assistance funding. Rio Blanco County did not apply for Individual Assistance.
Public Assistance helps state and local governments recover costs related to emergency response, firefighting, debris removal, road and bridge repairs, utilities, and other public infrastructure.
Individual Assistance, by contrast, supports individuals and households. It may cover damage to primary residences, personal property, temporary housing, and disaster-related expenses when residents cannot recover on their own. Agricultural losses — including damage to crops, grazing land, fencing and livestock — typically do not count toward Individual Assistance thresholds and are addressed through other state or federal programs. Ag producers are encouraged to visit the USDA Service Center and meet with White River Conservation District, FSA-Farm Service Agency and NRCS- Natural Resources Conservation Service for information on potential funding opportunities.
Addressing public comments suggesting the county failed to qualify for assistance, Rio Blanco County Administrator Vicky Edwards said the denial reflected a federal policy decision, not a failure by the county.
“The governor formally requested a Major Disaster Declaration that included Public Assistance for Rio Blanco County,” Edwards said. “After reviewing the information submitted, the president determined that supplemental federal assistance under the Stafford Act was ‘not warranted.’ That decision was within the president’s authority.”
Edwards added that the denial does not mean the county failed to meet application requirements, but rather that the request was evaluated under the same nationwide criteria applied to disaster declarations across the country.
“We are disappointed, but we will review the determination in detail and evaluate any available next steps, including supporting a potential appeal,” said County Commissioner Callie Scritchfield. “The scale of this disaster underscores the challenges rural communities face when critical infrastructure is lost.”
Scritchfield said the county remains particularly concerned about damage to the electric utilities, which play a role in regional and national energy production.
White River Electric Association lost nearly 14 miles of critical electrical infrastructure in the Lee Fire, limiting power delivery to those industrial customers in the Piceance Basin, according to the cooperative.
Natural gas producers in the basin account for about 90 percent of WREA’s total electric load and supply an estimated 2% to 5% of the nation’s daily natural gas consumption. To avoid overloading a remaining transmission line with limited capacity, some industrial customers have voluntarily reduced operations.
WREA General Manager Alan Michalewicz said the cooperative remains focused on recovery despite the federal decision.
“We’re terribly disappointed in the outcome, but that doesn’t change our path forward,” Michalewicz said. “Our members rely on us to provide reliable and affordable power, and that remains our priority.”
Tri-State, WREA’s wholesale power provider, is working with the cooperative to assess damage and plan reconstruction. WREA has also secured an emergency line of credit to help fund repairs, allowing interest-only payments during construction.
Long-term financing will be pursued to spread rebuilding costs over several decades.
“A newly rebuilt transmission system should last more than 30 years,” Michalewicz said. “Spreading those costs over time helps minimize the financial impact on our members.”
Under FEMA rules, the state has 30 days to appeal the denial. The agency then has up to 90 days to review the appeal and issue a final determination.