As investigators work to uncover the causes of massive wildfires in Southern California, Arizona lawmakers are turning their attention to wildfire prevention closer to home.
Today, the Arizona Senate Committee on Natural Resources questioned utility providers about their strategies for forestry management and wildfire mitigation.
Alec Acuna, the director of construction services with Tucson Electric Power (TEP) told the committee about the company's wildfire mitigation plan, describing it as a risk-based approach.
“When we look at wildfire mitigation planning, we need to know the status and the condition of our equipment, we need to know the status and the condition of our equipment, we need to know the health indices, the maintenance that goes into our asset-management program which ties into knowing how our equipment is going to function,” Acuna explained.
TEP’s service areas include high-risk zones such as the Gila National Forest, areas south of Tucson, Santa Cruz County, and Fort Huachuca in Cochise County.
Acuna emphasized that the company works with local communities to identify and address potential wildfire risks.
During the hearing, Senator Priya Sundareshan (D-Tucson) asked Acuna how TEP is strengthening grid resiliency to prevent prolonged power outages during storm activity.
Acuna highlighted TEP’s wood-pole replacement program.
“We’ve already replaced 1000s..this year I think we’re going to do 600 poles and next year, we’ll do 1000 in 2026,” Acuna said, noting that the program proactively inspects poles for decay and replaces them with steel poles.
Sundareshan also asked for details about how the company manages liability if wildfires damage TEP’s assets.
Acuna responded by ensuring the safety of first responders and establishing estimated restoration times.
