Watch the event recording here

Following a series of catastrophic wildfires ignited by electric utility infrastructure, California utilities have taken significant steps—at a significant cost to ratepayers—to lower their wildfire risk. But recent wildfires across the Western United States, from Oregon to Hawaii, Colorado, and Texas, have made it clear that California is far from the only region to face the growing threat of catastrophic utility-ignited fires exacerbated by climate change. The question of how to mitigate this danger while continuing to provide reliable and affordable energy is crucial for the future of the nation’s electric system. To help inform policy conversations on this subject, the Stanford Climate and Energy Policy Program (CEPP) is building a framework for comparative assessment of electrical utilities’ wildfire risk mitigation efforts. In this webinar, speakers with experience in the field will discuss the history of utility-ignited wildfires and new opportunities and challenges for utility wildfire mitigation. 

Speakers

Caroline Thomas Jacobs, Director, California Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety

Katherine Blunt, Reporter, Wall Street Journal

Bill Messner, Director of Wildfire Mitigation & Resiliency, Portland General Electric 

Eric Borden, Principal Associate, Synapse Energy Economics

Eric Macomber, CEPP Wildfire Legal Fellow

Mike Mastrandrea, CEPP Research Director

Michael Wara, CEPP Director