Michael Wara
@michaelwara.bsky.social
Works at Stanford on equitable climate and energy law/policy with a big helping of wildfire and insurance.
This whole article makes me want to cry. And then it makes me want to scream.
fresnoland.org/2025/10/14/g...
fresnoland.org/2025/10/14/g...
Did Forest Service negligence make the Garnet Fire worse?
Years of inaction by the US Forest Service station near Fresno put one of the agency’s last stands of old growth forests in California on the brink of
fresnoland.org
November 8, 2025 at 4:36 AM
This whole article makes me want to cry. And then it makes me want to scream.
fresnoland.org/2025/10/14/g...
fresnoland.org/2025/10/14/g...
Reposted by Michael Wara
Installed sensors at Teakettle this weekend. I broke down 5 times. The District Ranger requested that I tell ‘the truth’ about the fire and the forest. Here you go…
October 29, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Installed sensors at Teakettle this weekend. I broke down 5 times. The District Ranger requested that I tell ‘the truth’ about the fire and the forest. Here you go…
After some additional conversation, I’d say that this is maybe some of the most clear signs of what investors and utility managers call a “capital strike” at a utility suffering from financial distress due to wildfire litigation costs.
This is a very interesting complaint.
Datacenter vs electric utility. Issues are tax “gross up”and failure to deliver timely interconnection. I wonder how much of the issues here are really driven by the Santiam Canyon and Beachie Creek fire liability?
edocs.puc.state.or.us/efdocs/HAA/u...
Datacenter vs electric utility. Issues are tax “gross up”and failure to deliver timely interconnection. I wonder how much of the issues here are really driven by the Santiam Canyon and Beachie Creek fire liability?
edocs.puc.state.or.us/efdocs/HAA/u...
edocs.puc.state.or.us
November 7, 2025 at 11:08 PM
After some additional conversation, I’d say that this is maybe some of the most clear signs of what investors and utility managers call a “capital strike” at a utility suffering from financial distress due to wildfire litigation costs.
This is a very interesting complaint.
Datacenter vs electric utility. Issues are tax “gross up”and failure to deliver timely interconnection. I wonder how much of the issues here are really driven by the Santiam Canyon and Beachie Creek fire liability?
edocs.puc.state.or.us/efdocs/HAA/u...
Datacenter vs electric utility. Issues are tax “gross up”and failure to deliver timely interconnection. I wonder how much of the issues here are really driven by the Santiam Canyon and Beachie Creek fire liability?
edocs.puc.state.or.us/efdocs/HAA/u...
edocs.puc.state.or.us
November 7, 2025 at 6:51 PM
This is a very interesting complaint.
Datacenter vs electric utility. Issues are tax “gross up”and failure to deliver timely interconnection. I wonder how much of the issues here are really driven by the Santiam Canyon and Beachie Creek fire liability?
edocs.puc.state.or.us/efdocs/HAA/u...
Datacenter vs electric utility. Issues are tax “gross up”and failure to deliver timely interconnection. I wonder how much of the issues here are really driven by the Santiam Canyon and Beachie Creek fire liability?
edocs.puc.state.or.us/efdocs/HAA/u...
Reposted by Michael Wara
Fig 5 from our Year in Fire report. Here we show increases in home insurance costs by risk quintile in California. The hard truth is that if we burn down more houses, insurance is going to cost more. A lot more. Those costs are disproportionately borne by residents in high fire risk areas.
November 7, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Fig 5 from our Year in Fire report. Here we show increases in home insurance costs by risk quintile in California. The hard truth is that if we burn down more houses, insurance is going to cost more. A lot more. Those costs are disproportionately borne by residents in high fire risk areas.
Reposted by Michael Wara
Fig 2 from our Year in Fire report. Here we show smoke days by county in California on average over the past decade and for 2024. There is no future without wildfire smoke. The future CAN be one where we accept the reality of smoke EMISSIONS but actively manage the harms from smoke EXPOSURE.
November 5, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Fig 2 from our Year in Fire report. Here we show smoke days by county in California on average over the past decade and for 2024. There is no future without wildfire smoke. The future CAN be one where we accept the reality of smoke EMISSIONS but actively manage the harms from smoke EXPOSURE.
Reposted by Michael Wara
Fig 3 from our Year in Fire report. Here we show structure loss over the past decade. We are lost more than 2000 homes per year in 5 of the last 10 years. That's too many houses burning down. We MUST do better if we want to have affordable electricity, affordable insurance, and affordable housing.
November 7, 2025 at 5:52 AM
Fig 3 from our Year in Fire report. Here we show structure loss over the past decade. We are lost more than 2000 homes per year in 5 of the last 10 years. That's too many houses burning down. We MUST do better if we want to have affordable electricity, affordable insurance, and affordable housing.
This is a fantastic article on the reliability compromises that are being created by wildfire safety interventions in rural California. A must read. www.hcn.org/issues/57-11...
For rural Californians, unreliable power has become the norm - High Country News
Years ago, the state’s largest utility rolled out a power outage program designed to reduce wildfires. Customers now experience thousands of outages a year.
www.hcn.org
November 7, 2025 at 5:44 AM
This is a fantastic article on the reliability compromises that are being created by wildfire safety interventions in rural California. A must read. www.hcn.org/issues/57-11...
I was talking to a utility researcher the other day who asked me what was on fire out the plane window on the way from Portland where she lives to LA for the SCPPA meeting we were at.
Answer: that is all GOOD FIRE!
Answer: that is all GOOD FIRE!
November 5, 2025 at 10:15 PM
I was talking to a utility researcher the other day who asked me what was on fire out the plane window on the way from Portland where she lives to LA for the SCPPA meeting we were at.
Answer: that is all GOOD FIRE!
Answer: that is all GOOD FIRE!
Fig 1 from our Year in Fire report. This figure is our attempt to measure and separate “good” low to moderate severity fire from “bad” high severity fire in California. We need more of the green in CA - as much as 4 million acres a year - but less of the blue. That’s the landscape fire challenge.
November 4, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Fig 1 from our Year in Fire report. This figure is our attempt to measure and separate “good” low to moderate severity fire from “bad” high severity fire in California. We need more of the green in CA - as much as 4 million acres a year - but less of the blue. That’s the landscape fire challenge.
Giving my talk at Red Sky Summit. Always so intimidating to speak to this mix of fire chiefs, policy makers, entrepreneurs, and landscape managers. But also such an honor. Grateful to the conference organizers for the opportunity.
November 4, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Giving my talk at Red Sky Summit. Always so intimidating to speak to this mix of fire chiefs, policy makers, entrepreneurs, and landscape managers. But also such an honor. Grateful to the conference organizers for the opportunity.
My team has been working on a report that provides policymakers with clear situational awareness on the wildfire situation in California. I'm so proud of the work product we have produced.
November 3, 2025 at 6:37 PM
My team has been working on a report that provides policymakers with clear situational awareness on the wildfire situation in California. I'm so proud of the work product we have produced.
Strong article on many aspects of the insurance crisis in California. Particularly appreciate the attention to the exceptions to the 85% market share rule.
California Promised Insurance Relief, But Delivered Loopholes www.nytimes.com/2025/11/01/u...
California Promised Insurance Relief, But Delivered Loopholes www.nytimes.com/2025/11/01/u...
California Promised Insurance Relief, But Delivered Loopholes
www.nytimes.com
November 1, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Strong article on many aspects of the insurance crisis in California. Particularly appreciate the attention to the exceptions to the 85% market share rule.
California Promised Insurance Relief, But Delivered Loopholes www.nytimes.com/2025/11/01/u...
California Promised Insurance Relief, But Delivered Loopholes www.nytimes.com/2025/11/01/u...
Strong article on many aspects of the insurance crisis in California. Particularly appreciate the attention to the exceptions to the 85% market share rule.
California Promised Insurance Relief, But Delivered Loopholes www.nytimes.com/2025/11/01/u...
California Promised Insurance Relief, But Delivered Loopholes www.nytimes.com/2025/11/01/u...
California Promised Insurance Relief, But Delivered Loopholes
www.nytimes.com
November 1, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Strong article on many aspects of the insurance crisis in California. Particularly appreciate the attention to the exceptions to the 85% market share rule.
California Promised Insurance Relief, But Delivered Loopholes www.nytimes.com/2025/11/01/u...
California Promised Insurance Relief, But Delivered Loopholes www.nytimes.com/2025/11/01/u...
It’s hard not to feel a little sad when your kids are going to parties on Halloween instead of dressing up to walk around the neighborhood with you.
Parents with young kids out there, appreciate the days and moments like this one. They will pass faster that you can believe is possible.
Parents with young kids out there, appreciate the days and moments like this one. They will pass faster that you can believe is possible.
November 1, 2025 at 12:54 AM
It’s hard not to feel a little sad when your kids are going to parties on Halloween instead of dressing up to walk around the neighborhood with you.
Parents with young kids out there, appreciate the days and moments like this one. They will pass faster that you can believe is possible.
Parents with young kids out there, appreciate the days and moments like this one. They will pass faster that you can believe is possible.
We are doing a webinar on residual markets coming up on November 18th. What does the experience in Southeastern states teach that wildfire prone states can learn? Our Legal Fellow Sam Hudgens will be presenting new work that he has led followed by a panel discussion of experts.
Stanford Webinar: Examining Disaster Insurance Markets
mailchi.mp
October 31, 2025 at 10:57 PM
We are doing a webinar on residual markets coming up on November 18th. What does the experience in Southeastern states teach that wildfire prone states can learn? Our Legal Fellow Sam Hudgens will be presenting new work that he has led followed by a panel discussion of experts.
Love this figure from a recent LBL report by Ryan Wiser and colleagues.
Report is here: eta-publications.lbl.gov/sites/defaul...
Report is here: eta-publications.lbl.gov/sites/defaul...
October 31, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Love this figure from a recent LBL report by Ryan Wiser and colleagues.
Report is here: eta-publications.lbl.gov/sites/defaul...
Report is here: eta-publications.lbl.gov/sites/defaul...
I miss Santa Cruz.
Saw a witch. Followed the witch. Then two, three, four, a dozen more witches.. so followed some more.. until finally, at last, we found all of the witches. #HappyHalloween 🎃
Wicked witches of west cliff, conjuring up twilight.
October 31, 2025 at 2:30 PM
I miss Santa Cruz.
Love this! Train the workforce and the beneficial fire will follow.
Our PBA offers training on the Central Coast (typically open to anyone), and @ucanr.edu Fire Network is adapting a Rx Guidebook for California (originally created for the SE US where everyone burns) targeting private landowners and fire folks without a lot of experience. We’re getting there slowly!
October 31, 2025 at 1:59 AM
Love this! Train the workforce and the beneficial fire will follow.
This is fantastic. @calfire.bsky.social what about this given @governor.ca.gov EO on prescribed fire from yesterday?
Interested in using prescribed fire on your property? NM Forestry offers free, hands-on training to certify private landowners to conduct pile and broadcast burns.
Visit emnrd.nm.gov/sfd/prescribed… or contact Brian Filip, prescribed burn coordinator, at brian.filip@emnrd.nm.gov.
Visit emnrd.nm.gov/sfd/prescribed… or contact Brian Filip, prescribed burn coordinator, at brian.filip@emnrd.nm.gov.
October 30, 2025 at 10:02 PM
This is fantastic. @calfire.bsky.social what about this given @governor.ca.gov EO on prescribed fire from yesterday?
Reposted by Michael Wara
Interested in using prescribed fire on your property? NM Forestry offers free, hands-on training to certify private landowners to conduct pile and broadcast burns.
Visit emnrd.nm.gov/sfd/prescribed… or contact Brian Filip, prescribed burn coordinator, at brian.filip@emnrd.nm.gov.
Visit emnrd.nm.gov/sfd/prescribed… or contact Brian Filip, prescribed burn coordinator, at brian.filip@emnrd.nm.gov.
October 30, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Interested in using prescribed fire on your property? NM Forestry offers free, hands-on training to certify private landowners to conduct pile and broadcast burns.
Visit emnrd.nm.gov/sfd/prescribed… or contact Brian Filip, prescribed burn coordinator, at brian.filip@emnrd.nm.gov.
Visit emnrd.nm.gov/sfd/prescribed… or contact Brian Filip, prescribed burn coordinator, at brian.filip@emnrd.nm.gov.
Reposted by Michael Wara
Obvious wavenumber-5 mesovortex pattern within #Melissa’s eyewall earlier today — when the simulation matches reality. Just two decades ago, the very existence of mesovortices was still a matter of debate.
October 28, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Obvious wavenumber-5 mesovortex pattern within #Melissa’s eyewall earlier today — when the simulation matches reality. Just two decades ago, the very existence of mesovortices was still a matter of debate.