Utilities required to strengthen fire mitigation plans under WA law
House Bill 1522 has passed both the legislatures unanimously with bipartisan support and has now been signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson. The bill is designed to bolster the wildfire mitigation strategies of investor-owned electric utilities.
COURTESY PHOTO/TOM DENT
Both Rep. Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake and Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake brought up the Camp Fire in California as an example of why House Bill 1522 is necessary. The fire started as a power line was downed, and fuel was heavily accessible killing almost 100 people and blazing around 150,000 acres of land including several thousand structures. HB 1522 has investor-owned electric utilities create a wildlife mitigation plan to ensure a similar event does not occur in Washington.
OLYMPIA — The Washington State Legislature has unanimously passed House Bill 1522, a measure designed to bolster the wildfire mitigation strategies of investor-owned electric utilities. Gov. Bob Ferguson signed the bill into law April 24, with it to go into effect July 27, 2025.
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