A Montana-based company has withdrawn its contract protest over the nation’s newest fleet of aerial firefighting tankers, clearing the way for the U.S. Forest Service to nearly double its large tanker fleet this summer.
Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., hailed the move by Neptune Aviation Services Inc., calling it a “clear victory for the people of Colorado.”
Udall last month blasted Neptune’s decision to protest when it did not win a contract as shortsighted, and vowed, “I refuse to force Colorado communities to watch as preventable and containable wildfires are allowed to threaten lives and homes simply because of contractors’ squabbles.”
The decision ended fears of an understaffed firefighting season like last year, when a similar contract protest forced the nation to fight through its third-worst fire season in decades with a dwindling fleet of Korean War-era planes.
It also allows the Forest Service to move forward with plans to possibly more than quadruple its new fleet within 10 years.
The agency had eight planes on contract entering the season, three less than last year. With Neptune’s decision, the agency can field an additional seven planes, each faster and capable of carrying at least 3,000 gallons of retardant.
Ron Hooper, chief executive officer of Neptune, declined to offer a reason for ending the company’s protest — noting only that his company faces “significant business implications” without a “next generation” contract.
Even with the contracts cleared, two months could pass before most of those new planes fly.
Each tanker company has 60 days after finalizing its contracts to complete a plethora of certification tests — each required before fighting a fire.
One tanker — a DC-10 capable of carrying up to 11,600 gallons of retardant — has already passed those tests. The Gazette
