Wildfires were catastrophic across the West and the Southwest last summer. Coupled with the continuing megadrought, this was a huge burden for utilities across a wide area of the country.

Already it is hotter and drier than normal across much of those regions, and forecasters at the National Weather Service have said that drought conditions will persist through the spring, which will set the stage for wildfires and reduced hydroelectric production.

In this briefing, a panel of hands-on utility executives will be questioned by a gallery of knowledgeable reporters about how they coped in the past and how they hope to avert disaster this year. USEA Acting Executive Director Sheila Hollis will open the briefing. It has been organized and will be moderated by Llewellyn King, nationally syndicated columnist and broadcaster.

Paul Pastelok, Lead Long-Range Forecaster at AccuWeather, will give a special presentation at the beginning of the briefing.

The general audience can submit questions using the Zoom Q&A function, but members of the media will be given preference. A recording will be made available after the briefing.

Panelists:
Paul Pastelok, Lead Long-Range Forecaster, AccuWeather
Maria Pope, President & CEO, Portland General Electric
Sarah Clark, AMI Coordinator, Utilities Department, Town of Estes Park, CO
Ruth Marks, Vice President, Transmission Maintenance, Tri-State G&T
Scott Corwin, Executive Director, Northwest Public Power Association

Journalists:
Ken Silverstein, Forbes
Markham Hislop, Energi Media
Jennifer Hiller, The Wall Street Journal
Rod Kuckro, Freelance