As wildfire risks grow, utilities and industry push for solutions By EPN Staff A broad new coalition will push for more federal action to prevent wildfires, arguing that the problem calls for a coordinated national strategy. Partners in Wildfire Prevention includes utility and business associations, public safety groups and a range of community interest groups. In an announcement this month, the coalition said the United States had nearly 65,000 wildfires last year that burned more than 8.8 million acres. “Wildfires do not respect state lines,” said Chet Wade, the coalition’s communications director. “As the fires grow in size, intensity, and impact, only a national effort can ensure that the best protection and fastest recovery is available for American communities and businesses.” Why it matters According to NASA, which uses satellites to track fires: Extreme wildfires have become more frequent, more intense and larger over the last several decades. Fire seasons are starting earlier in the spring and lasting later into the fall. Parts of the western United States, Mexico, Brazil, and East Africa now have fire seasons that are more than a month longer than they were 35 years ago. The Earth’s warming climate has particularly amplified wildland fires in northern and temperate forests, including in the western United States and Russia. The problem is something of a circle: Climate change increases fire risks by exacerbating dry conditions and causing stronger storms, which knock down trees that later fuel fires. Wildfires are then a major source of carbon dioxide emissions, which accelerates climate change. Researchers say carbon emissions from forest fires increased by 60% globally between 2001 and 2023, according to NASA. The bigger picture Wildfires are a particular problem for utilities, which have to shut down transmission lines during high-risk periods to avoid sparking fires. Wildfire liability threatens some providers with bankruptcy, and utilities in western states have pushed for new laws granting them immunity from the costs of utility-sparked fires. Partners in Wildfire Prevention lists 20 members and expects to grow. The Edison Electric Institute, an association of investor-owned electric companies, helped organize the coalition. The coalition will advocate “for a coordinated federal wildfire strategy that ensures communities are better protected from the dangers wildfires pose while empowering businesses to make smart, forward-looking investments in wildfire resilience,” it said in its initial press release. Additional details Partners in Wildfire Prevention members include: American Association of Blacks in Energy, American Biomass Energy Association, American Gas Association, Americans for a Clean Energy Grid, Association of Firetech Innovation, Caregiver Action Network, Consumer Energy Alliance, Edison Electric Institute, Federation of American Scientists, Grid Forward, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Megafire Action, National Black Chamber of Commerce, National Electrical Contractors Association, National Hispanic Energy Council, North America’s Building Trades Union, Preppr.ai, and United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
