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Utilities propose $5 million Colstrip wildfire plan under HB 490; counsel and members ask whether amount is sufficient
Summary
Staff told the council utilities owning Colstrip transmission propose a $5 million, five-year wildfire mitigation plan under HB 490; members asked if that funding is adequate and heard that HB 490 requires approved mitigation plans to reduce strict liability exposure for utilities that follow them.
Consumer Counsel staff reported that filings required by House Bill 490 include wildfire mitigation plans for transmission assets at Colstrip. Counsel said the Colstrip owners proposed spending $5,000,000 over five years on mitigation for the Colstrip transmission system; Avista and Black Hills also filed plans under the same law.
Representative Joe (committee member) described HB 490’s core purpose: requiring utilities to prepare and follow mitigation plans for rights-of-way so that, if utilities obtain commission approval for their plans and adhere to them, they will not face strict-liability exposure for wildfire damage. "The purpose... was to make it so that they weren't gonna be held responsible for something that wasn't their fault if they substantially followed the mitigation plan," Representative Joe said.
Committee members asked if $1,000,000 per year for the Colstrip transmission system would be materially effective after a large wildfire in the Coal Strip area two years ago. Brown said the Colstrip filing is one piece of mitigation spending and that other utility-specific wildfire budgets and rate-case commitments should be considered to get the full picture.
What happens next: Counsel said staff will look across utilities and past rate-case commitments to place the $5 million in context and will provide additional information as requested by the committee.
