21 What If We Could Get Wildfire Under Control? With Hilary Franz

Pacific Time: The "What if...?" of West Coast Independence

Content provided by Greg Amrofell. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Greg Amrofell or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

10d ago 1:02:22

MP3•Episode home

What if wildfire isn’t just a natural disaster, but a test of how well we govern prevention, preparation, response, and recovery? In this episode, Greg talks with Hilary Franz, former Washington Lands Commissioner about governing through climate chaos, building unlikely coalitions, and why states like Washington can’t afford to wait for federal leadership when it comes to protecting lives, land, and the future.

As big and intractable as climate issues can seem, Hilary’s story is hopeful. When the climate crisis hits home, progress is possible when state and local leaders can take charge and look past politics, to address shared problems. From reimagining forest management to partnering with tribes, timber towns, and tech leaders, Franz shares what it takes to lead boldly—and collaboratively—when every season is fire season. This is a story about practical climate action, political courage, and what it might look like for the West Coast to lean into big challenges it can see coming.

In this episode, we cover:

How wildfire strategy in Washington shifted from reactive to proactive
Why climate denial isn’t the biggest obstacle anymore—climate delay is
The political and practical costs of federal inaction
What it means to build coalitions with tribes, timber workers, and tech CEOs
Why state sovereignty matters in an age of climate instability
What a West Coast climate alliance could actually look like
How Hilary Franz’s background in conservation law—and figure skating—shaped her leadership

About Our Guest:
Hilary Franz served as Washington’s Commissioner of Public Lands from 2017–2025, leading the state’s wildfire prevention, forest management, and climate resilience efforts. A former conservation attorney, she is known for bipartisan coalition-building, hands-on leadership in crisis, and her early days as a competitive figure skater.

Other resources

Related Episodes:

Join the Conversation by offering your take on this spicy question:
What would it take for the West Coast to lead on climate like our lives depend on it?

💬 Participate in active, civil conversations with your neighbors on the West Coast who are asking ‘What if…?’ Come to the community center for Pacific Time at Substack.

Follow:

📲 Pacific Time is making good trouble asking questions about the future of the West Coast on BlueSky, Instagram, and Facebook

Listen:

🎧 Pacific Time Podcast is on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and many other platforms. Please follow, share, and leave a review.

Thanks to:

"Indie for Indie" Sponsor: Share It Music
Featured Share It Artist: Queen Anne (and their non-profit partner Malaria Consortium US)
Producer: Tim Wohlberg

23 episodes