Idaho Commission Approves New Wildfire Mitigation Plan Process for Utilities

The Idaho Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has approved a new process outlining how electric utilities will submit annual wildfire mitigation plans, marking a key step in implementing the state’s Wildfire Standard of Care Act (WSCA).

The process stems from Senate Bill 1183, passed by the Idaho Legislature in 2025, which established the WSCA. The law requires the Commission to review and approve wildfire mitigation plans each year for investor-owned electric utilities. Municipal and cooperative utilities, while not regulated by the PUC, may also choose to submit plans for review.

Under the WSCA, if a wildfire leads to a lawsuit against an electric utility, the utility is presumed to have acted without negligence if it can demonstrate that it reasonably implemented a Commission-approved mitigation plan.

Commission staff developed the new filing framework, which sets both a submission schedule and the required components of each plan. Utilities must identify areas where their infrastructure faces elevated wildfire risk, outline actions and programs to reduce that risk, and describe community outreach and public awareness efforts before, during, and after wildfire season. Plans must also detail how utilities will notify the public of wildfire-related outages.

To allow sufficient time for staff review and recommendations, utilities will follow a staggered filing schedule. Each company will be required to submit an updated mitigation plan one year after the approval of its previous plan.