Udall-Championed Land Exchange Strengthens Sugar Loaf Fire Protection District’s Ability to Fight Fires, Save Lives

‘This Long-Awaited Land Swap Will Allow the Sugar Loaf Fire Protection District to Upgrade Its Firehouses, Better Protect Local Residents’ Lives, Homes’

WASHINGTON, D.C. – December 12, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — Thanks to legislation Mark Udall introduced and shepherded through Congress, the U.S. Forest Service this week completed a critical land swap with the Sugar Loaf Fire Protection District in Boulder County. Udall heralded this victory for the approximately 500 households the fire district safeguards west of Boulder, calling it emblematic of how Congress can strengthen Colorado communities’ abilities to fight wildfires and protect lives.

Udall’s bill allowed the Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forests and the Sugar Loaf Fire Protection District to each exchange roughly five acres of land between Boulder and Nederland to more easily operate and upgrade two fire stations. The fire district has been forced for years to confront costly and time-consuming red tape to operate the two fire houses and protect the area’s growing population.

“From the Fourmile Canyon Fire to the Black Forest Fire, Coloradans have seen all too recently why we must empower and equip our firefighters to confront modern mega-fires. This long-awaited land swap will allow the Sugar Loaf Fire Protection District to upgrade its firehouses and better protect local residents’ lives and homes,” Udall said. “This is a major win for the people of the Sugar Loaf Fire Protection District, and I am proud to have led the bipartisan effort in Congress to make it a reality.”

Udall’s bill, the Sugar Loaf Fire Protection District Land Exchange Act, passed the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives with broad bipartisan support. The president signed it into law on Dec. 23, 2011.

Udall has been a leading voice for ensuring that Colorado and the West have adequate resources to prepare for the threat of wildfire, including pressing the U.S. Forest Service to quickly adopt the Government Accountability Office’s recent recommendations on how to update its air tanker fleet. He also led the recent fight to ensure the Forest Service was able to cut through red tape and secure seven next-generation air tankers.