Submitted by Jessica McCarthy | OKPUD Public Information Officer

OKANOGAN – The Okanogan County PUD had the pleasure of hosting a visit from 7th District legislators, along with Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove and members of his administrative team.

The day began with a tour of the Okanogan County PUD Loup Loup Transmission Line, covering areas on both Forest Service and DNR-managed lands. The goal was to provide the Commissioner and Legislators with insight into the terrain, landscape and vegetation the PUD navigates in maintaining this vital infrastructure. The tour also highlighted the PUD’s ongoing partnership with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and opened dialogue around fire risk, right-of-way responsibilities, and vegetation management. As a newly elected commissioner from Western Washington, this visit offered Mr. Upthegrove and his team valuable perspective on the unique challenges we face in Okanogan County.

As part of the tour, the PUD also showcased the investments we have made in firefighting equipment to enhance our response capabilities and support fire mitigation efforts in our service area.

Following the tour, Commissioner Upthegrove, Senator Shelly Short and Representatives Hunter Abell and Andrew Engell, participated in a Wildfire Roundtable Discussion with representatives from the Farm Bureau, Okanogan Conservation District, Okanogan County, and the PUD. The group focused on improving collaboration around wildfire preparedness, mitigation efforts, and interagency coordination during active fire events.

In the afternoon, the group joined the Conservation District to tour several local projects in the Bonaparte area.

The Okanogan County PUD is very grateful for the meaningful time spent with the Commissioner and our legislators, and we look forward to working with them to support public power, infrastructure and grid reliability.