Washington committee hears competing views on proposed wildfire prevention fund

The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee opened a public hearing on Jan. 21 for House Bill 22 75, which would create a Wildfire Prevention and Protection Fund to reimburse electric utilities for third‑party wildfire damages and establish a 15‑member council to set contributions and damage thresholds.

Lily Smith, staff to the committee, told members the proposal would require investor‑owned utilities to participate and make participation optional for consumer‑owned utilities, would pay claims for wildfires caused by a utility’s negligence after July 1, 2021, and would allow utilities to recover contributions through customer surcharges. Smith said the council would set one‑time and annual contribution levels and hire an administrator to manage the fund and approve claims.

The bill’s prime sponsor, Representative Christine Reeves, framed the measure as part of a comprehensive wildfire strategy and said the fund is meant both to provide compensation to victims and to create a stable revenue stream that can support mitigation. “We wanna actually drive down your…