A lobbying blitz is underway in Trump’s Washington to secure funding for drones, AI cameras and other technologies being used to prevent and limit wildfires.
It won’t be easy. The K Street forces working for the emerging fire tech sector must persuade an administration that has carried out a dramatic about-face on environmental issues, halting broader climate action and rejecting the scientific consensus that human-caused climate change is leading to more damaging infernos.
Federal money and support could be within reach nonetheless. A new cadre of startups is making its case to a tech-friendly administration that has learned from experience it cannot escape the costly fallout from wildfires. These companies are also pulling strings in Congress to rally support for legislation and funding to promote more wildfire technology.
The clock is ticking. Forecasters have warned that California and the rest of the West, which is parched after a snow drought, could be in for a particularly destructive peak wildfire season this year. Major blazes are most common in the western U.S. from July through September.
