A project involving the American Public Power Association, a group of APPA members and the Argonne National Laboratory focused on wildfire risk mitigation has resulted in new resources that can be utilized by the public power community.
This initiative, conducted in collaboration with the Argonne National Laboratory and the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Grid Deployment Office (GDO), supports APPA’s goal of helping utilities strengthen their resilience to increasing wildfire risk.
The project spans two years and includes 11 public power utilities selected for their experience in wildfire risk mitigation. The first cohort, which participated from fall 2024 through end of summer 2025, included:
• Austin Energy, TX
• Salt River Project, AZ
• Snohomish PUD, WA
• Eugene Water & Electric Board, OR
• Placer County Water Agency, CA
The aim of this project is to help public power utilities enhance their wildfire risk mitigation strategies, utilize ClimRR to project wildfire risk, and develop additional resources, particularly for those utilities that are just beginning their wildfire risk mitigation planning.
Initial meetings and early collaboration efforts helped establish the foundation for the wildfire mitigation initiative. Participating utilities, APPA staff, and Argonne team members came together to align project goals and share initial approaches.
On Sept. 25, APPA hosted a free virtual webinar showcasing lessons learned from the first year and previewed new planning resources that are now available to APPA members. The webinar is available on APPA's wildfire mitigation webpage.
Building on that work, APPA developed two new resources for wildfire mitigation planning:
• A Wildfire Mitigation Strategies & Resources document, which compiles key strategies, tools, and references shared by participating utilities and partners, and
• A Wildfire Mitigation Plan Template, designed to help utilities structure and document their wildfire mitigation efforts.
The second cohort of APPA members participating in the project will participate from October 2025 through September 2026 and are:
• Loveland Water & Power Company, CO
• Truckee Donner PUD, CA
• Electrical District No. 3, AZ
• Seattle City Light, WA
• Western Area Power Administration, CO.
Also participating in the second cohort is Colorado-based CORE Electric Cooperative, a rural cooperative.
