SB 5430 Washington Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Concerning approval of electric utility wildfire mitigation plans.

SB 5430 requires Washington electric utilities to submit detailed wildfire mitigation plans to the Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) for approval, with updates every three years. The UTC must review these plans within 120 days (for initial submissions) or 90 days (for updates), holding public workshops and meetings, and can approve plans with conditions to balance wildfire risk reduction with cost to consumers. The bill repeals outdated provisions and directs the UTC to adopt rules including input from fire districts, landowners, and customer groups on vegetation management, power shutoffs, and fair compensation. This directly affects all electric utilities operating in Washington, ensuring their wildfire plans are reviewed transparently and cost-effectively.

Issues: ✓ Environment

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 12, 2026 Last action Jan 12, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Bill → Substitute Bill · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to strengthen wildfire mitigation requirements by adding a mandatory public workshop alongside public meetings, extending review timelines for new plans, and explicitly requiring rules for fair market compensation to landowners. These changes aim to increase transparency, ensure broader stakeholder input, and clarify financial responsibilities for utilities managing wildfire risks.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include mandatory involvement of local fire districts, landowners, and customer groups in the planning process, and it now explicitly covers fair market compensation for landowners.

REQUIREMENT

Added a mandatory public workshop requirement alongside public meetings to ensure broader community and stakeholder input before plans are approved.

Explicitly required the commission to adopt rules establishing guidelines for determining fair market compensation when utilities need to acquire landowner property for mitigation purposes.

Updated the filing requirement to clarify that companies without existing plans must file one, while those with existing plans must file an update immediately upon the bill's effective date.

TIMELINE

Extended the commission's deadline to review new wildfire mitigation plans from 60 days to 120 days, while keeping the 90-day deadline for plan updates.

TECHNICAL

Changed the language regarding plan updates from 'should try to align' to 'must adopt rules' for implementation, making the regulatory process more definitive.

Floor votes

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Jan 12, 2026

Introduced

By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

upper

Feb 14, 2025

Upper · Passed

Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology at 10:30 AM.

upper

Feb 4, 2025

Upper · Passed

Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology at 1:30 PM.

upper

1 primary · 5 co-sponsors