How would bill to make utility companies clean out power lines stop wildfires?

PHOENIX — A former Arizona forestry official is throwing his support behind a new bill he believes could help stop wildfires from breaking out.

David Tenney, the former director Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, said House Bill 2201 would require electric companies to clean up vegetation around power lines.

“It would require the utility companies to have a vegetation management plan that would then need to be approved by whoever oversees them,” Tenney told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show on Thursday.

How would Arizona wildfire mitigation legislation work?

For instance, Arizona Public Service (APS) would need to put together a plan and gain the approval of the Arizona Corporation Commission, he said.

“Then they would need to adhere to that plan of what they’re going to do to maintain those easements and right-of-ways and where they have their infrastructure to make our landscapes more fire resistant,” Tenney said.

Wildfire mitigation legislation like this is especially important in the wake of the deadly fires that ravaged the Los Angeles area earlier this year, he added.

How can vegetation management prevent Arizona wildfires?

Vegetation management is especially important in northern Arizona, for utilities and residents alike, Tenney said.

“You don’t need the crown of a tree hanging over your roof to where if it catches on fire, now your roof goes with it,” he said.

Everybody loves to build a house in the middle of the trees — but it also comes with a significant fire risk. Here’s what homeowners need to know. pic.twitter.com/4MNpIyQV6a

— KTAR News 92.3 (@KTAR923) February 21, 2025

Tenney added that he knows people with 3 feet of flammable pine needles in their yards.

“There are many things that they can do on their side, just like the power companies would be required to do on their side if this right legislation is passed,” he said.

Although vegetation management can make a world of difference, at the end of the day, it’s one of many different strategies, he added.

“That’s one of the tools in the toolbox that we need for forest health. It’s not the only one and it’s not the biggest,” Tenney said. “You’re not going to prevent all forest fires by cleaning out under power lines. But you can certainly burn down the entire forest if you start a fire under power lines because you didn’t clean it out.”

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