(WASHINGTON, DC) - - To better understand the impact of federal funding freezes on APPA members, APPA asks members to let the association know if a federal funding award has been “frozen” or delayed for members. In addition, APPA is seeking details on the award stage a member is in (i.e., a grant has been announced, a grant agreement and/or contract has been signed, a member is awaiting reimbursement, etc.), and the program under which a grant has been received (i.e., the DOE GRIP Program). Please provide these details to APPA’s David Hadley at: dhadley@publicpower.org. Additionally, if APPA members have been affected by these freezes, APPA is strongly encouraging members to tell their congressional delegations about the impact the freeze is or will have on their communities, customers, and the utility in question.
Friday, February 14, 2025
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Redundant Environmental Review is Unlawful, Misleading, and Jeopardizes Services to Millions (Northwest RiverPartners, Vancouver, WA)
Regional Coalition of Power, Navigation, and Agriculture Users Push Back on New Federal Environmental Review
(PORTLAND, OR) - - A coalition of regional leaders calls on the federal government to withdraw its decision to initiate new environmental reviews of the Columbia and Snake River dams. The coalition contends that a new National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis would be both premature and unlawful, warning that it would be incomplete and could mislead the public about these dams' vital role in supporting the region’s economy and environment.
Given the sharp rise in energy costs and the notable improved recovery of salmon and steelhead returns, the coalition urges the federal government to withdraw its intent to pursue new environmental analyses on the operations of federal dams on the Columbia and Snake Rivers. This diverse group, representing millions of electric customers, businesses, farmers, and river commerce leaders, is concerned that additional reviews are unnecessary at this time.
The coalition argues that any supplemental NEPA analysis would be fundamentally flawed and misleading. There are significant concerns regarding the Co-Lead Agencies’ proposal to base the analysis on interim reports from the 12/14 Agreement studies and unscientific policy documents, which lack conclusive findings. Relying on these incomplete studies undermines the integrity of the NEPA process and risks rendering the Final NEPA document unlawful, as NEPA is designed to promote informed decision-making. According to the coalition, proceeding with a NEPA analysis based on such interim reports does not fulfill this essential objective.
The proposed environmental review could lead to breaching federal hydropower facilities that serve as the largest source of affordable, reliable, clean energy for millions of people in the region while also providing world-class, clean river transportation for the regions and nation’s economies.
The coalition responded to the Biden Administration's decision to move forward with a “Notice of Intent” to redo an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) completed in 2020. That study–just four years old–cost regional electric customers more than $55 million and considered more than 400,000 comments before concluding that our hydropower dams need to stay in place.
The 2020 study concluded that federal hydropower dams and locks are essential to maintaining affordable electric rates, reliable energy service to homes and businesses, and lower carbon emissions. Hydropower is the largest source of affordable, renewable, dispatchable generation in the Pacific Northwest.
Since that time, energy load forecasts have exploded. According to a 2024 report from the Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee, “Demand for electricity is projected to increase from about 23,700 average megawatts (aMW) in 2024 to about 31,100 aMW in 2033 (an increase of 7,400 aMW), which is an increase in demand of over 30% in the next 10 years.”
The federal government’s decision comes as electricity cost increases in the Pacific Northwest far outpace the national growth rate. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, retail electric rates across Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana increased between 5.9-11.4% between 2022 and 2023— doubling (or far more) the 2.6% average rate of increase across the U.S. during the same period. The decision to proceed with additional environmental studies ignores publicly available data showing significant, sustained increases in fish returns.
Average salmon and steelhead returns have more than tripled at Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River and more than quadrupled at Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River during the last 15 years when compared to the first adult fish counts at those facilities, according to data sourced from the University of Washington College of the Environment’s Data Access in Real Time (DART) website.
Further, a peer-reviewed study commissioned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 2021, “Climate change threatens Chinook Salmon through their lifecycle,” provided the following conclusions:
- “Survival through Columbia and Snake River dams generally now meets recovery targets (>96%), and cumulative mortality over 500 km of in-river migrating fish (~50%) is similar to that estimated for unregulated rivers of similar length (i.e., Fraser River).”
- “Our analysis showed relative resilience in freshwater stages, with the dominant driver toward extinction being rising SST (sea surface temperature), which tracked a ~90% decline in survival in the marine life stage.”
- “Our results indicate that as one symptom of a changing ocean, rising SST (sea surface temperature) puts all of our study populations at high risk of extinction, despite actions within the hydrosystem to speed juvenile travel and increase in-river survival.”
This diverse group of power, navigation, and agricultural users in the Northwest has a strong demonstrated history, and a continued commitment, to engaging when appropriate in proper reviews of programs and policies impacting the Columbia River Basin, its citizens, economies, and the environment. To that end, this coalition will continue to carefully monitor developments on this proposed environmental review and potential impacts to the Northwest.
The Columbia Basin Regional Alliance for Transparent (RAFT) is a coalition formed by the Public Power Council, the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association, Northwest RiverPartners, Northwest Requirements Utilities, and other concerned stakeholders in the Pacific Northwest who are dedicated to safeguarding the value of hydropower and preserving the vitality of river commerce activities in and along the Columbia and Snake rivers.
Media Contacts:
- Kurt Miller, Executive Director, Northwest Public Power Association - kurt@nwppa.org
- Zabyn Towner, Executive Director, Northwest Requirements Utilities - ztowner@nru-nw.com
- Clark Mather, Executive Director, Northwest RiverPartners - clark@nwriverpartners.org
- Neil Maunu, Executive Director, Pacific Northwest Waterways Association - neil.maunu@pnwa.net
- Scott Simms, CEO & Executive Director, Public Power Council - ssimms@ppcpdx.org
- Michelle Hennings, Executive Director, Washington Association of Wheat Growers - michelle@wawg.org
Additional Supporting Organizations:
- Association of Washington Business
- Idaho Consumer Utilities Association
- Idaho Wheat Commission
- Montana Electric Cooperatives Association
- Oregon Municipal Electric Utilities Association
- Oregon People’s Utility District Association
- Oregon Wheat Commission
- Oregon Rural Electric Cooperative Association
- Washington Public Utility Districts Association
- Washington Rural Electric Cooperative Association
- Washington State Water Resources Association
Wednesday, June 26, 2024
The Energy News Digest for June 26, 2024
The Northwest Public Power Association sponsors the Energy News Digest.
The News Digest on Facebook and Twitter will bring breaking news throughout the week.
Subscribe to The Energy News Digest.
Items of Note from the Northwest Public Power Association
This Friday is the deadline for submitting NWPPA Excellence in Communications Award applications.
The Excellence in Communications Contest is an awards competition open to NWPPA utility and association members. Public power professionals are invited to submit the best content created by or on behalf of their utility or organization. All photo entries will automatically be entered into the People’s Choice Awards contest. Awards for both contests are presented each year at NWPPA’s Northwest Innovations in Communications Conference.
Hotshots – Today’s Top Five Stories
Chelan, Douglas, Grant County PUDs Sue Bonneville Power Administration & U.S. Army Corps Over Columbia River Treaty Delays, Overpayment (Wenatchee World, WA – Paywall Advisory) - The lawsuit, filed June 17, wants the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington to declare that the BPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers “failed to comply with the Administrative Procedure Act by unreasonably delaying action” on a petition from the Mid-Cs regarding the Columbia River Treaty, and that “the U.S. Entity has no authority to impose conditions on the Mid-Cs’ use of the Columbia River flow after Sept. 15.”
WA Ecology, Feds
Host Meetings on Breaching Lower Snake River Dams (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_fc0d9670-3014-11ef-a04c-c777c41e883c.html
State Council
Wrestles with WA Gov. Inslee’s Recommendations on Wind Farm Project (The Center
Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_635764d4-327a-11ef-85e6-4709791bce7a.html
WA State:
Initiative to Repeal Cap-And-Trade May Already Be Lowering Carbon Auction
Prices (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_c4596a64-3335-11ef-98b4-17aa10dee85d.html
WA Lands
Commissioner Wary of Federal Plan to Kill Thousands of Owls (Washington
Standard)
News Highlights (See
Stories Below)
1. Chelan,
Douglas, Grant County PUDs Sue Bonneville Power Administration & U.S. Army
Corps Over Columbia River Treaty Delays, Overpayment (Wenatchee World, WA –
Paywall Advisory) - The lawsuit, filed June 17, wants the U.S. District Court
for the Eastern District of Washington to declare that the BPA and the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers “failed to comply with the Administrative Procedure Act
by unreasonably delaying action” on a petition from the Mid-Cs regarding the
Columbia River Treaty, and that “the U.S. Entity has no authority to impose
conditions on the Mid-Cs’ use of the Columbia River flow after Sept. 15.”
2. WA
Ecology, Feds Host Meetings on Breaching Lower Snake River Dams
3. Congresswoman
Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA) responds to President Biden’s 'Dam Breaching'
Agenda
4. Wildfire
Threats Make Utility Companies Uninsurable in Northern California, Across West
5. Hydropower
Industry Seeks Navajo Support After Permits Rejected
6. NV
Energy Seeks to Prematurely Recover Costs of $4.2 Billion Greenlink
Transmission Line
7. Aging
Coal Plants Are Increasingly Unreliable Due to Cycling Increases & Deferred
Maintenance: NERC
8. Big
Tech Wants Nuclear Power but Doesn’t See Role as Investor
9. State
Council Wrestles with WA Gov. Inslee’s Recommendations on Wind Farm Project
10. Alaska:
Angoon Celebrates Launch of Long-Awaited Hydroelectric Project
11. A Big
Boost for a Climate Solution: Electricity Made from the Heat of the Earth
12. A
Signature Biden Law Aimed to Boost Renewable Energy. It Also Helped a Solar
Company Reap Billions
13. In Green
Energy Boom, One Federal Agency Made the Yakama Nation an Offer They Had to
Refuse
14. WA State:
Snohomish County to Start ‘Kicking Gas’ in Push for All-Electric Homes
15. WA Lands
Commissioner Wary of Federal Plan to Kill Thousands of Owls
16. Have You
Ever Sung ‘Happy Birthday’ to a Fish? Dozens of People Did on Saturday
17. The U.S.
Supreme Court Rejects a Settlement in a Water Dispute Between New Mexico &
Texas
18. WA State:
Ecology Releases Final Environmental Review of Proposal to Rebuild Eightmile
Lake Dam
19. WA State:
Initiative to Repeal Cap-And-Trade May Already Be Lowering Carbon Auction
Prices
20. WA to
Distribute $72 Million from Carbon Market Auctions for Community Energy
Projects
21. Whistleblower
Lawsuit Against WSDOT, Washington Governor's Office to Move Forward
22. How
Seattle Public Library's Cyberattack Impacts Patrons, Students
23. Taking A
Closer Look at Artificial Intelligence’s Supposed Energy Apocalypse
24. Volkswagen's
$5 Billion Investment in Rivian Boosts Electric Vehicle Maker's Shares
25. The U.S.
Supreme Court Rules for Biden Administration in a Social Media Dispute with
Conservative States
26. WA State:
Everett Herald Journalists Stage One-Day Strike After Layoffs Announced
27. How Heat
Pumps Can Turn Wasted Energy into Low-Carbon Whisky
28. At State
Convention, Washington Democrats Narrowly Reject Proposal to Block Nuclear
Power
29. What to
Expect for Wildfire Season
30. Part of a
Minnesota Home Has Plunged into the Blue Earth River as Deadly Midwest Flooding
Threatens Nearby Rapidan Dam
31. Lots of
Rumbling Under Mount St. Helens, But Scientists Say No Cause for Alarm
32. Guest
Essay: Altering Use of Willamette River Basin Dams Would Save Money, Help
Salmon
33. Podcast:
Rich Glick on FERC Order 1920
34. Advertorial:
Hydropower Is Ready to Step Up to the Plate Against Summer Heat
Word of the Day
Hippodrome \HIPP-uh-drome\ Noun - 1: an oval stadium for horse & chariot races in ancient Greece 2: an arena for equestrian performances.
“Harry the Horse” had grown tired of his waltz performance at the local circus. “I want to be the main act at the hippodrome, showcasing the cha-cha,” he neighed. The Hendersons simply laughed.
Energy & Utility
Issues
1.
Chelan, Douglas, Grant County PUDs Sue
Bonneville Power Administration & U.S. Army Corps Over Columbia River
Treaty Delays, Overpayment (Wenatchee World, WA – Paywall Advisory) - The
lawsuit, filed June 17, wants the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District
of Washington to declare that the BPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
“failed to comply with the Administrative Procedure Act by unreasonably
delaying action” on a petition from the Mid-Cs regarding the Columbia River
Treaty, and that “the U.S. Entity has no authority to impose conditions on the
Mid-Cs’ use of the Columbia River flow after Sept. 15.”
2.
WA Ecology, Feds Host Meetings on Breaching Lower
Snake River Dams (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_fc0d9670-3014-11ef-a04c-c777c41e883c.html
3.
Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA) responds
to President Biden’s 'Dam Breaching' Agenda (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_2e883cc8-2e66-11ef-a8ca-7f396370fefc.html
4.
Wildfire Threats Make Utility Companies
Uninsurable in Northern California, Across West (San Jose Mercury News, CA – Paywall
Advisory)
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/06/24/wildfire-threats-make-utilities-uninsurable-in-us-west/
5.
Hydropower Industry Seeks Navajo Support After
Permits Rejected (Bloomberg News)
6.
NV Energy Seeks to Prematurely Recover Costs of $4.2
Billion Greenlink Transmission Line (Nevada Current)
7.
Aging Coal Plants Are Increasingly Unreliable
Due to Cycling Increases & Deferred Maintenance: NERC (Utility Dive)
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/coal-plant-forced-outages-rise-increasingly-unreliable-NERC/719488/
8.
Big Tech Wants Nuclear Power but Doesn’t See
Role as Investor (Yahoo! News)
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/big-tech-wants-nuclear-power-201653832.html
Renewable Energy & Self
Storage
9.
State Council Wrestles with WA Gov. Inslee’s Recommendations
on Wind Farm Project (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_635764d4-327a-11ef-85e6-4709791bce7a.html
10.
Alaska: Angoon Celebrates Launch of Long-Awaited
Hydroelectric Project (KTOO Radio, Juneau, AK)
https://www.ktoo.org/2024/06/20/angoon-celebrates-launch-of-long-awaited-hydroelectric-project/
11.
A Big Boost for a Climate Solution: Electricity
Made from the Heat of the Earth (Associated Press)
12.
A Signature Biden Law Aimed to Boost Renewable
Energy. It Also Helped a Solar Company Reap Billions (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/biden-solar-inflation-reduction-act-dca914675cd0855004214d82aab5b10c
13.
In Green Energy Boom, One Federal Agency Made the
Yakama Nation an Offer They Had to Refuse (High Country News)
Conservation &
Efficiency
14.
WA State: Snohomish County to Start ‘Kicking
Gas’ in Push for All-Electric Homes (Everett Herald, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.heraldnet.com/news/snohomish-county-to-start-kicking-gas-in-push-for-all-electric-homes/
Fish & Wildlife
15.
WA Lands Commissioner Wary of Federal Plan to
Kill Thousands of Owls (Washington Standard)
16.
Have You Ever Sung ‘Happy Birthday’ to a Fish? Dozens
of People Did On Saturday (Here Is Oregon)
Water, Water, Anywhere?
17.
The U.S. Supreme Court Rejects a Settlement in a
Water Dispute Between New Mexico & Texas (Associated Press)
https://apnews.com/article/texas-new-mexico-colorado-rio-grande-a624e0bf8f9d0340166e0811c74efcbb
18.
WA State: Ecology Releases Final Environmental
Review of Proposal to Rebuild Eightmile Lake Dam (WA Dept. Of Ecology)
https://ecology.wa.gov/about-us/who-we-are/news/2024-news-stories/june-21-eightmile-lake-dam-feis
Climate Change
Sequestration Vault
19.
WA State: Initiative to Repeal Cap-And-Trade May
Already Be Lowering Carbon Auction Prices (The Center Square)
https://www.thecentersquare.com/washington/article_c4596a64-3335-11ef-98b4-17aa10dee85d.html
20.
WA to Distribute $72 Million from Carbon Market
Auctions for Community Energy Projects (Seattle Times, WA – Paywall Advisory)
21.
Whistleblower Lawsuit Against WSDOT, Washington
Governor's Office to Move Forward (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)
Beam Me Up, Scotty - The
Wizarding World of Technology & Cybersecurity
22.
How Seattle Public Library's Cyberattack Impacts
Patrons, Students (Crosscut Seattle)
https://crosscut.com/news/2024/06/how-seattle-public-librarys-cyberattack-impacts-patrons-students
23.
Taking A Closer Look at Artificial Intelligence’s
Supposed Energy Apocalypse (Ars Technica)
https://arstechnica.com/ai/2024/06/is-generative-ai-really-going-to-wreak-havoc-on-the-power-grid/
I Sing the Car Electric
24.
Volkswagen's $5 Billion Investment in Rivian Boosts
Electric Vehicle Maker's Shares (Reuters)
Public Relations,
Marketing & Media
25.
The U.S. Supreme Court Rules for Biden Administration
in a Social Media Dispute with Conservative States (Yahoo! News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/supreme-court-rules-biden-administration-140359363.html
26.
WA State: Everett Herald Journalists Stage
One-Day Strike After Layoffs Announced (KING-TV, Seattle, WA)
Barrel O’ Green
Potpourri – Seething Stew of Science
27.
How Heat Pumps Can Turn Wasted Energy into
Low-Carbon Whisky (Canary Media)
Management &
Governance
28.
At State Convention, Washington Democrats Narrowly
Reject Proposal to Block Nuclear Power (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall
Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2024/jun/25/at-state-convention-washington-democrats-narrowly-/
Other Things to Know
About Today
29.
What to Expect for Wildfire Season (KIRO
Broadcasting, Seattle, WA)
https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/what-expect-wildfire-season/DIFAKECZ5NALTNI5AC4MSUNMCM/
30.
Part of a Minnesota Home Has Plunged into the Blue
Earth River as Deadly Midwest Flooding Threatens Nearby Rapidan Dam (Yahoo!
News)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/part-minnesota-home-plunged-blue-154859241.html
31.
Lots of Rumbling Under Mount St. Helens, But
Scientists Say No Cause for Alarm (KUOW Radio, Seattle, WA)
Soapbox Serenade – Vox
Populi
32.
Guest Essay: Altering Use of Willamette River
Basin Dams Would Save Money, Help Salmon (Oregon Capital Chronicle)
33.
Podcast: Rich Glick on FERC Order 1920 (Public
Power Underground)
https://publicpowerunderground.substack.com/p/rich-glick-on-ferc-order-1920
34.
Advertorial: Hydropower Is Ready to Step Up to
the Plate Against Summer Heat (Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA – Paywall Advisory)
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2024/jun/07/hydropower-is-ready-to-step-up-to-the-plate-agains/
Alligators in the Sewer – Diversions
Super Fluffy
8-Year-Old Pekingese ‘Wild Thang’ Wins 2024 World's Ugliest Dog Contest
Not Just a Book: What
Is a Gutenberg Bible? Why Is It Relevant 500 Years After Its Printing?
Abe Lincoln Wax
Sculpture Melts in Brutal DC Heat
https://www.yahoo.com/news/abe-lincoln-wax-replica-melts-144552806.html
Idaho’s David Rush Is
Closing in on the Guinness World Records Throne
Song of the Day
The Beatles – Being
for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJNndwGFJIM
Links & Paywall Advisory
Links in The Energy News Digest are for current stories. Media organizations update their websites regularly, which may result in broken links.
Although I choose stories that are accessible without paying a subscription, individual experiences may vary. Media attribution includes information about possible paywall restrictions. Regularly clearing your browser’s history and cookie files may help you access some paywall sites.
Wednesday, May 22, 2024
NWPPA Excellence In Communications Awards
Submissions must be original materials published, produced, or distributed for the first time in 2023. Advertising materials entered into the competition must have been created specifically for the NWPPA member. Each communication piece can only be submitted into one category—communication pieces that are entered into more than one category will be disqualified.
All entries must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. PT on Friday, June 28, 2024. Late submissions will not be considered.
Entries are limited to one entry for the Annual Report category, and two entries for all other categories.
The entry fee is $35 per entry. NWPPA will invoice utilities for their entries in early July. Invoices must be paid in full by Aug. 20 for entries to be eligible to receive an award.
NEW THIS YEAR
There are a couple of exciting changes to this year’s contest.
- We have added a new Video category!
- Groups are now determined by the number of kilowatt-hours sold, rather than by number of customers.
More details about these changes are available in the EIC Call for
Entries.
Monday, May 13, 2024
$30 Billion Wildfire Lawsuit Against PacifiCorp Could Prove Costly to Everyone (Northwest Public Power Association)
Kurt Miller, Executive Director, Northwest Public Power Association
(Vancouver, WA) -- On April 29, one thousand wildfire
victims filed new claims against PacifiCorp in an Oregon state court totaling
$30 billion related to damages and emotional distress caused by 2020 wildfires
that involved the utility’s equipment. According
to Reuters, these lawsuits alone represent four times the maximum
financial exposure PacifiCorp’s owner, Berkshire Hathaway, had anticipated.
While the
sum may be greater than expected, Berkshire Hathaway’s famous leader, Warren
Buffet now seems more prescient than ever in his February letter
to investors. In his letter, Buffet cast doubt on the future of
investor-owned utilities (IOUs) due to untold financial risks related to
wildfires in the West. Simply put, Buffet wondered aloud whether investors will
be willing to “send good money after bad,” and he emphatically stated that he
is not. Buffet concluded that consumer-owned utilities might the only ones left
standing as investors back away.
As
someone who has worked for an IOU and for consumer-owned utilities (i.e.,
“public power”) I’m a huge advocate for the public power model. It removes the
confusion of who the utility is beholden too—investors or the communities they
serve. With public power utilities, the investors are the communities served.
That
said, the financial risk associated with wildfires is bad for everyone. Over
half of the 153 utilities my organization represents have 10,000 or fewer
customers. They can’t afford even a small fraction of the potential liability
PacifiCorp is facing.
Of
course, you may say that utilities should take steps to avoid causing fires. We
can all agree to that, and most, if not all, utilities are already taking
steps. But some measures could be prohibitively costly. For instance,
under-grounding power lines can be five to 10 times as high as providing
traditional service connections, and that cost would be borne by customers.
Meanwhile, many people have a hard time making ends meet as it is.
Even
then, it is almost impossible to deliver electricity without some risk. Extreme
weather, changing environmental conditions, and inadequate management of
federal lands are often the true determinants of wildfire harm. A transmission
line may provide the spark, but the fuel is what determines the extent of the
damage.
None of
this is to say that the hardships wildfire victims experience aren’t horrible
or that if a utility is negligent that it should be immune to consequences.
These losses are real and can be devastating. My father’s childhood home in
Salem burned to the ground, and he often recounted how traumatizing it was to
him and his family.
However,
if Buffet’s prediction comes true and consumer-owned utilities are the only
ones left standing, we’ll get to the point where we’re really just suing each
other’s communities when a wildfire is sparked. Our only real crime will be
that we needed electricity to power our homes in an era when climate change has
made the entire Western US a tinderbox.
If we
want to avoid such a future, we need to enact meaningful reforms to our fire
management systems, including:
- Allowing utilities to perform corridor maintenance on federal lands
- Streamlining environmental reviews for wildfire prevention activities
- Reforming liability provisions
- Providing funding for efforts to identify and address major wildfire threats
- Requiring federal landowners to actively manage and mitigate forests identified as high-risk
- Partnering with states and tribes to work collaboratively on reducing fire risks
The
benefit of many of these measures is that they will help reduce
wildfire-related damages even when utility equipment isn’t involved.
(Utility-involved wildfires represent less than 10% of all wildfire
incidences.)
Addressing
these challenges demands a concerted effort from local, state, and federal
governments. Prioritizing these issues is imperative to safeguard communities
and ensure the provision of essential services in the face of mounting
environmental risks.
Public
power is up to the task of meeting the urgent demands of our time. For over a
century, community-owned utilities have done what others couldn’t or wouldn’t
do, often with lower costs than their IOU counterparts. We stand ready to
collaborate with community leaders, tribes, businesses, and policymakers to
make meaningful change.
We’ve already lost too much due to uncontrolled wildfires. Let’s learn the lessons those fires taught us and apply them now, before it is too late.