CASPER, Wyo. — As Wyoming customers protest another proposed rate hike by Rocky Mountain Power, Governor Mark Gordon signed a bill Thursday aimed at easing some of the utility company’s costly liability concerns.
HB0192, entitled “Public utilities-wildfire mitigation and liability limits,” requires electrical utility companies to evaluate its infrastructure and surrounding land for wildfire risk and devise plans to manage the vegetation, add protections to the equipment, and develop protocols for de-energizing parts of the system in an emergency.
Those plans would be approved by the Wyoming Public Services Commission and renewed every five years.
Companies complying with their state-approved risk mitigation plans carry a presumption of reasonable prudence with regard to wildfire preparation in civil cases, the bill states.
Rocky Mountain Power officials have said that insurance costs for parent company PacifiCorp have increased 1,800% in the last few years due to costly settlements and civil judgments related alleged failure to de-energize power lines during the Labor Day fires in Oregon in 2020 that killed nine and destroyed over 5,000 homes.
Other utility companies have faced similar litigation resulting from devastating fires in western states.
Wyoming Rep. J.T. Larson of Sweetwater County said the goal of the bill was to save ratepayers money and protect utilities who act in good faith from lawsuits.
