Drier and hotter weather conditions are creating longer wildfire seasons in many parts of the country, and even regions not typically at risk of wildfires are vulnerable. Wildfires can decimate electric infrastructure, destroy homes and businesses, and worst of all, lead to injury or loss of life for those in their path.
In this episode of Along Those Lines, we’ll talk about an RE Magazine cover story on electric cooperatives’ wildfire mitigation efforts and how a bill in Congress, the Fix Our Forests Act, could help co-ops.
This month’s guests are Erin Kelly, a reporter for NRECA who’s covered the impact of wildfires on our member co-ops; Hannah Hardin of NRECA’s legislative affairs team, who will discuss smart policies to combat wildfires; and Billi Kohler, general manager of West Oregon Electric Cooperative, which dealt with a wildfire in its service territory in 2020.
Listen to the episode below:
You can also listen and subscribe to Along Those Lines on your preferred podcast service, such as Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Find out more about NRECA’s podcast. Questions or suggestions? Email us at AlongThoseLines@nreca.coop.