Zinke Introduces Bill to Improve Rural Utilities, Prevent Forest Fires

Statement

On Friday, May 15, Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke, along with Democrat Rep. Kurt Schrader (OR-5) introduced H.R. 2358, the Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act.

Congressman Zinke stated, "This bill is a win for Montana because it corrects federal inconsistency and indecision that governs the way our local power providers can, and cannot, service their lines on federally owned land. Currently, if a tree falls on a power line that is on federal land, utility crews must go through regulatory backflips in order to remove the tree. This can take months and in some cases years, and causes dangerous fire conditions in our tinderbox forests. It should not take an Act of Congress to remove a fallen tree.

"Nearly all of Montana's co-ops have rights-of-ways that cross either U.S. Forest Service (USFS) or Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land. It's an issue of forest safety and national security when a hazardous tree falls onto power lines and the USFS or BLM doesn't let them address the problem our entire power grid is jeopardized. We should be doing whatever we can to empower our co-ops, not reprimand them for the government's negligence."

Congressman Zinke continued, "Already this wildfire season, Montana has seen over 38,000 acres burned, costing more than 1.8 million dollars. Montanans deserve reliable electric service to keep their lights on and an accountable and consistent federal government that will reduce power-line caused fires."

"We are grateful for Congressman Zinke's sponsorship of this legislation," said Dave Wheelihan, CEO of Montana Electric Cooperatives' Association, whose member co-ops deliver electricity to about 40 percent of the state's population. "H.R. 2358 takes meaningful and substantive steps toward helping prevent wildfires caused by hazardous trees near power lines. With the average size co-op in Montana having only about 4,200 members, a fire caused by just one tree hitting a power line can prove financially devastating to a co-op. It can easily lead to major rate increases that our members simply cannot afford."

Additional supporters of H.R. 2358 include the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), the American Public Power Association (APPA), and the Edison Electric Institute (EEI).

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