Friend,

I wanted to make sure you saw the news that a statewide fire emergency has been declared in Montana. Drought, extreme heat, and abnormally dry weather have made conditions dangerous and at least 10 major wildland fires continue to burn in our state.

I want to send my deepest gratitude to the firefighters and first responders protecting our communities. Here are few things you can do to help:

1. If you live near one of these fires, follow local guidelines to stay safe. For the latest updates, follow the Fire Protection Program at the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation on Facebook or Twitter.

2. For those not directly threatened by fires but who live in fire-prone areas, please do your part to prevent fires. Over 75% of these fires were human-caused, so we all must do our part to stop new ones from starting. More information can be found here.

These are the very real impacts of the climate crisis, and our leadership in Montana isn’t just turning away from these problems, they are actively making them worse.

Just last week, Governor Gianforte withdrew Montana from a bipartisan, multi-state alliance to address climate change and prevent wildfires like these in the long run. Now, he’s left begging the federal government for assistance with the drought and has instead tried to blame “environmental extremists” for these fires.

In Congress, I won’t play partisan politics with our children’s futures. Montanans deserve a leader who will address climate change with the urgency it requires.

Thank you, and stay safe.

Cora