SUMMER 2025
Wins for the West
WRA has spent more than three decades turning bold climate solutions into real-world victories across the Interior West.
As a valued member of a WRA giving society, you’re helping us protect the West for generations to come.
When a state regulator lifts language straight from WRA testimony into its final order, we know our advocacy is working – and so do the utilities we hold accountable.
That’s exactly what happened this year, when the Utah Public Service Commission issued a 196-page order in the general rate case for Rocky Mountain Power – a division of PacifiCorp – repeatedly citing WRA expert Karl Boothman.
His testimony demonstrated that the utility’s wildfire insurance premiums had ballooned far beyond what climate driven risk alone could justify and traced the spike to poor procurement and lax mitigation planning. The Commission adopted our framework, disallowing $70.4 million of the $82 million the utility sought to pass on to customers.
The idea began with WRA expert Brendan Witt, who drafted and testified in support of a solution to Colorado’s biggest prescribed burn roadblock: liability.
With support from our government affairs team, the measure gives certified prescribed burns a financial safety net by seeding a $250,000 Prescribed Fires Liability Claims Fund and hiring a dedicated administrator.
WRA took the bill from an interim committee to passage in the session’s final hours. We also secured an amendment that lets Xcel Energy finance more than $1 billion in wildfire mitigation work through securitization, trimming costs for ratepayers while speeding up critical power grid updates.
After years of behind-the-scenes work from WRA experts, New Mexico made three transformative changes to its wildlife rulebook.
The legislation, shaped by WRA coalition-building and advocacy, renames the Department of Game and Fish to the Department of Wildlife, expanding its mandate to protect all species. It also increases department funding by 25% and reforms the renamed State Wildlife Commission, helping ensure science-driven leadership that includes the voices of farmers, ranchers, hunters, anglers, biologists, and wildlife conservationists.
With broader authority, stable resources, and transparent governance, New Mexico can safeguard its rich biodiversity.
Now is the Moment
The decisions made in the coming months will shape the West’s climate future. WRA’s legislative, regulatory, and implementation work keeps our experts in the room, turning our goals into enforceable policies and holding decision makers accountable. Together, we can secure a cleaner, healthier, and more resilient West for generations to come.
Elizabeth O’Connell
Associate Director of Donor Relations
elizabeth@westernresources.org
Lauren Zapien
Annual Fund Manager
lauren.zapien@westernresources.org
