A dryer-than-average winter means southern Utah will likely be more vulnerable to wildfires early this summer, meteorologists at Utah’s largest utility are warning.
So far, signs point to a dry, hot streak through July in the southern part of the state, said Scott Jensen, a chief meteorologist at Rocky Mountains Power, at a news conference Tuesday morning. That will likely lead to “above normal” wildlife conditions, meaning wildfires are more likely.
The “silver lining,” Jensen said, is that meteorologists expect a “more robust” monsoon season starting in August, which would bring some needed moisture to southern Utah and bring wildfire risk back to near normal.
The power company has three meteorologists on staff in Utah to monitor any weather conditions that may impact the electricity grid.
The northern part of the state, meanwhile, has enough precipitation going into the summer to be a normal wildfire risk, Jensen said.
The utility’s forecast is just that, he said — a forecast and not a guarantee. Meteorologists review weather data daily and report any concerning conditions like high winds and dry fuel so that the utility can respond if necessary.
Rocky Mountain’s responses during the wildfire season can include enhancing safety settings when fire risk is high so that power lines can shut off in “fractions of a second” if something like debris from high wind interferes with the line, said Allen Berreth, a transmission and operations executive. The utility may also shut down power lines if an active fire gets too close. Finally, the utility can completely shut down power “if the fire conditions are so extreme” to warrant such a measure.
“We don’t take that decision lightly,” Berreth said. “We know that’s an impact to our customers. That’s an impact to the communities we serve.”
Rocky Mountain’s parent company, PacifiCorp, is still paying billions of dollars in settlements for 2020 wildfires in Oregon for which it was found liable. The fires sparked after the company did not shut down power lines in areas of extreme danger, Oregon courts ruled.
A report released last month by the Oregon Department of Forestry found seven of the 19 fires that devastated Santiam Canyon were caused by down power lines, but those fires did “not contribute to the spread of large fires in Santiam Canyon” and were quickly suppressed.
The report “confirms PacifiCorp’s long-held position that any wildfire ignitions linked to the company’s electrical equipment... did not contribute to the widespread devastation that occurred when the Beachie Creek fire tore through the canyon,” the president of PacifiCorp‘s west coast utility said in a news release last month.
The Public Service Commission last month rejected including Rocky Mountain Power’s wildlife mitigation plan, which included a proposed $371 million in capital investments, in the utility’s rate increase request. The amount was four times higher than RMP’s 2020 wildfire plan, the PSC said in its order, and the utility did not adequately justify the costs or explain why ratepayers should cover them.
The commission did, however, approve $51 million in capital investments and $28 million in vegetation management costs, in recognition of “the strong public interest in wildfire risk mitigation,” the order said.
Rocky Mountain executives said they are still committed to investing nearly $3 billion toward wildfire prevention in the state through 2027, and to wildlife mitigation as a whole. The commission’s order is “a challenge,” said spokesperson Jonathan Whitesides, “but we’re going to continue forward with the projects we’ve got going on.”
“Really, when it comes down to it, our number one responsibility is keeping communities safe,” Whitesides said.
Rocky Mountain Power this year is partnering with the state Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands’ Fire Sense campaign to increase wildfire communications across the state. Taiga Rohrer, the state deputy fire management officer, said Tuesday that billboards, utility bills and social media campaigns will all include messaging from the state and from Rocky Mountain Power “reminding everybody that wildfire prevention starts with you.”
“Fire is just a spark away,” said Rohrer. “You know what else involves sparks? Electricity.”
Shannon Sollitt is a Report for America corps member covering business accountability and sustainability for The Salt Lake Tribune. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by clicking here.
