WILDFIRE UTILITY MITIGATION & LIABILITY ACT
What changed between versions
Electric utilities must submit wildfire mitigation plans to the Public Regulation Commission for review and approval, with detailed requirements including service territory mapping, vegetation management standards, and public safety power shutoff procedures.
Utilities may recover costs for approved mitigation plans through permanent riders on electricity bills, subject to annual true-up accounting and Commission approval.
Two new appropriations totaling $2.25 million are created: $1.5 million for the Public Regulation Commission and $750,000 for the Forestry Division to support plan review and implementation oversight.
A new grant program provides up to $1 million per year to rural electric cooperatives for wildfire mitigation plan implementation, prioritized by anticipated wildfire risk reduction.
New definitions established including 'public safety power shutoff,' 'qualified wildfire civil action,' and 'wildfire,' which must originate from unplanned ignition or receive an emergency declaration.
Utilities must submit annual compliance reports, and the Commission can issue certificates of compliance or notices of noncompliance, with potential revocation of compliance status for failures to take corrective action.
Liability limitations include a rebuttable presumption that certified compliance proves reasonable preparation, caps on noneconomic damages at $500,000 per plaintiff, and prohibition of punitive damages in qualified wildfire civil actions.
Mitigation plan submission begins August 1, 2026, with Commission rulemaking required by October 1, 2027, and qualified wildfire civil actions must be brought within one calendar year of fire ignition.
Existing statutes on damages for starting fires and general statutes of limitation are amended to create exceptions for qualified wildfire civil actions against electric utilities.
