Oregon lawmakers hold informational hearing on utility wildfire plans, liability and a proposed safety-certificate bill

The House Judiciary Committee on Monday held an informational hearing that focused on utility wildfire mitigation plans, rising mitigation costs, and proposals to create a safety‑certificate process and a potential compensation fund for wildfire victims.

Chair Jared Croft opened the March 3 hearing by describing a broad set of goals: ensuring “safe, reliable, clean, and affordable energy,” reducing wildfire risk and examining how utility rates reflect those costs. He said the session would build on prior work and national conversations about utilities’ obligations and the legal implications if utilities fall short of high safety standards.

Nolan Moser, executive director of the Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC), gave a primer on the commission’s roles in rate‑making and safety oversight. “Our mission is to ensure that the rate payers for these utilities have access to safe, reliable, and fairly priced utility services that advance state policy and promote the public interest,” Moser said. He explained that investor‑owned utilities must justify spending through contested general rate cases and that wildfire mitigation measures have become a major component of recent filings.

PUC Commissioner Letha Taney summarized the agency’s work on wildfire…