Division of Public Utilities says Rocky Mountain Power’s revised 2023 wildfire plan fails to show costs balance benefits

Division of Public Utilities utility analyst Jonathan Lee told the Utah Public Service Commission he recommends rejecting Rocky Mountain Power’s revised 2023 Wildland Fire Protection Plan because it fails to show the required balance between mitigation costs and the reduction in wildfire risk.

Lee said the company’s revised plan asks for “$371,700,000 for wildfire-related capital expenditure and an additional $74,600,000 for wildfire-related operation and maintenance expense for the 2023–2025 period,” figures far above what the commission approved in 2020, and that the plan “does not properly balance cost with potential benefits.”

Why it matters: Utah law requires the commission to approve a wildland fire protection plan only if the evidence shows the plan is reasonable, in the public interest and “appropriately balances the cost of implementing the plan with the risk of a potential…