This bill allows electric utilities, electric cooperatives, municipal utilities, and wholesale electricity generators to create wildfire mitigation plans that detail their efforts to prevent or reduce wildfire damage. The plans must be approved by each utility's board or city council (for cooperatives and municipal utilities) or filed with the Public Utilities Commission (for other utilities), and the commission will publish them on its website. The bill establishes a framework for these plans but also appears to include liability protections for utilities that follow approved wildfire mitigation plans, though the excerpt cuts off before detailing those protections.
This bill does not directly amend codified state law.
The amendment changed the definition of "wildfire" from "unintentional" to "unwanted" fire, extended the annual compliance report deadline from April to June, and added a requirement that utilities update their wildfire mitigation plans at least once every five years—together STRENGTHENING the bill's wildfire mitigation framework by broadening what fires qualify for mitigation coverage and ensuring plans remain current.
The amendment removes filing fees ($500 for plan submissions and $250 for annual reports) that qualified utilities previously had to pay to the Public Utilities Commission, which WEAKENS the bill's revenue-generation mechanism while keeping the wildfire mitigation plan requirements intact.
The amendment changes the bill's chapter reference from 26.558.18 to 26.558.19 and shifts approval authority for non-cooperative/non-municipal utilities from the approval authority to the Public Utilities Commission, while also shortening the required update interval for wildfire mitigation plans from every five years to every two years. This STRENGTHENS the bill's wildfire mitigation requirements by centralizing oversight with the Commission and requiring more frequent plan updates.
The amendment changed the bill's section numbering from 26.558.19 to 26.558.20 and reformatted it from a "House Commerce and Energy Engrossed" version to an "Enrolled" version, which is a technical change reflecting the bill's progression through the legislative process rather than a substantive change to the wildfire mitigation plan requirements themselves.
Other amendments
Signed by the Governor S.J. 541
Delivered to the Governor S.J. 510
Signed by the Speaker H.J. 543
Signed by the President S.J. 485
Senate Concurred in amendments Passed, YEAS 31, NAYS 3. S.J. 456
House of Representatives Do Pass Amended Passed, YEAS 63, NAYS 2. H.J. 473
Commerce and Energy Do Pass Amended Passed, YEAS 11, NAYS 0.
Commerce and Energy Motion to amend
Commerce and Energy Scheduled for hearing
First read in House and referred to House Commerce and Energy H.J. 194
Senate Do Pass Amended Passed, YEAS 29, NAYS 4. S.J. 146
Senate Motion to amend S.J. 145
Commerce and Energy Do Pass Amended Passed, YEAS 6, NAYS 3. S.J. 2
Commerce and Energy Motion to amend S.J. 1
Commerce and Energy Scheduled for hearing
First read in Senate and referred to Senate Commerce and Energy S.J. 10
Prime sponsor · Sen.
R
Prime sponsor · Rep.
R
Cosponsors
Concurred in amendments
Do Pass Amended
Commerce and Energy — Do Pass Amended
Do Pass Amended
Commerce and Energy — Do Pass Amended