Senate overhaul makes state forester the approver of wildfire mitigation plans; caucus asks for stakeholder updates

House Bill 2201, originally focused on liability and mitigation standards for public power entities and electric utilities after wildfires, was described to the caucus with a number of substantive Senate amendments. Under the Senate version, the state forester (Department of Forestry and Fire Management, DFFM) must review and approve wildfire mitigation plans; the bill removed a prior role for the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) in plan approval and altered consultation requirements with federal and state land management and fire protection agencies.

Other Senate changes discussed: the bill requires mitigation plans from entities covering fewer than 40,000 meters; it establishes that willful, intentional, or reckless misconduct by an entity that causes a wildfire is deemed to fail the standard of care; it outlines approval content and adds a process for responding to plan-change requests. Staff noted that the forester’s actions would be treated as matters of fundamental governmental policy for cities and counties.

Representative Connolly asked for a five-minute strategy review to better understand the Senate’s bipartisan shifts and the practical implications of moving approval authority to DFFM. Representative Travers asked staff to confirm whether stakeholder positions on the caucus tracking sheet had changed after Senate amendments; staff agreed to follow up with affected groups including unions and the attorney general’s office. No formal caucus action on the bill was recorded during the meeting.