A fallen aspen tree that downed a power line sparked New Mexico’s largest wildfire in state history in 2011, burning 156,000 acres in the Las Conchas Fire. Now, U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández wants to give utilities better tools to prevent the next power line disaster.
Leger Fernández and three other U.S. House members introduced the Weather-Safe Energy Act last week, federal legislation that would create a weather data platform to help utilities prepare for dangerous wind and wildfire conditions.
The bill addresses a growing problem across the Southwest. A Sandoval County jury found Jemez Mountains Electric Cooperative 75% responsible for the 2011 Las Conchas Fire, which started “when a gust of wind felled an aspen tree, downing a Jemez Mountains Electric Cooperative power line,” according to the Albuquerque Journal.
More recently, PNM faces a lawsuit over the 2022 McBride Fire in Ruidoso, which “alleges that the McBride Fire’s cause was a pine tree that blew over onto a power line maintained by the utility” during high winds.
“Wildfires sparked by power lines tend to be larger and more destructive, as they often occur during high winds, which accelerate the spread of fires,” according to research published this year in Nature from scientists at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque and other institutions.
The proposed legislation would give utilities sophisticated weather modeling tools currently unavailable to grid operators. It would also expand research funding and provide training to help energy companies use weather forecasting more effectively.
“When the lights go out during a heat wave, flood, or wildfire, it’s not just inconvenient—it’s a matter of life or death,” Leger Fernández said in a press release from her office.
New Mexico utilities already implement some wildfire prevention measures. PNM announced its first “public safety power shutoff” in March 2025 to prevent fires during high winds in the East Mountains, though conditions improved and the shutoff was ultimately canceled.
This report is supported by NM Political Report, a nonprofit newsroom working to increase New Mexicans’ engagement in politics and public policy.
Reported by: Kevin Hendricks
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