Docket Number: U-210254
LACEY, Wash. - The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission invites interested parties to attend a meeting to hear from its regulated electric utilities on the companies’ plans to prepare for the 2022 wildfire season.
In their presentations, the utilities will address how they are identifying and mitigating wildfire risk, and their plans for communicating with their customers and emergency response agencies.
WHAT
Virtual-only recessed open meeting
WHO
Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission
WHEN and WHERE
Wednesday, April 27, 2022
1:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Participate by Zoom (encouraged, if possible).
Participate by phone. Call 253-215-8782 and use Meeting ID: 992 0075 8178# and Passcode: 759393#.
If you wish to provide comment at the meeting, sign up before the meeting by calling 360-664-1165 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or emailing records@utc.wa.gov.
Translation services are available at no cost to you. If you require translation services, please inform the UTC at least one business day before the meeting by calling 360-664-1140, or by sending an email to paige.doyle@utc.wa.gov, if possible.
If you need a reasonable accommodation to attend the meeting, please contact the UTC at least one business day prior by calling 360-664-1132 or emailing human_resources@utc.wa.gov.
BACKGROUND
- In May 2021, the UTC hosted a meeting on utility wildfire preparedness, asking utilities to file and present plans on how they were preparing for the 2021 wildfire season.
- In March 2022, acknowledging the ongoing wildfire risk in utilities’ service territories, the UTC announced a recessed open meeting to discuss planning for the 2022 wildfire season, and required the regulated, private, investor-owned electric utilities to submit wildfire plans and address specific questions related to their wildfire preparation.
Spokane-based Avista serves more than 250,000 electric customers and nearly 164,000 natural gas customers in Eastern Washington.
Portland, Ore.-based PacifiCorp is owned by Berkshire Hathaway Energy of Des Moines, Iowa. The company provides electric service to about 130,000 customers in six Eastern Washington counties: Kittitas, Columbia, Garfield, Benton, Walla Walla, and Yakima.
Bellevue-based PSE provides electricity service to more than 1.1 million electric customers in eight Washington counties: Island, King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Pierce, Skagit, Thurston, and Whatcom.
The UTC regulates the rates and services of the state’s investor-owned electric and natural gas utilities, landline telephone companies, and private water systems among other industries. It is the commission’s responsibility to ensure regulated companies provide safe and reliable service to customers at reasonable rates, while allowing them the opportunity to earn a fair profit.
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Editor’s Note: All documents related to this proceeding, including the utilities’ wildfire plans and presentations from 2021, are available in Docket U-210254 on the UTC’s website.