CSG West Policy Consultant Joe Kolman recently presented before the Nevada Legislative Committee for the Review and Oversight of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and the Marlette Lake Water System, offering a regional perspective on wildfire prevention, mitigation, and management efforts. His testimony also highlighted how rising insurance premiums across the West are driving legislative conversations on policy options and reform. Central to that discussion was CSG West’s Forging a Resilient West dashboard, which tracks wildfire-related legislation and policy resources across the region.
Implemented through CSG West’s Wildfire & Disaster Preparedness Committee, the Forging a Resilient West platform serves as a daily-updated hub for wildfire legislation tracking, bill comparisons, briefings, and a curated “Reading Room.” With nearly 300 bills across 11 Western states — including more than 50 sponsored by Committee members — the tracker reflects the breadth of legislative activity underway. Legislation is categorized across key areas such as insurance, mitigation, building codes, utilities, and emerging technologies, allowing lawmakers to compare approaches and learn from neighboring states in real time.
As wildfires grow more frequent, intense, and are more costly, Western states are increasingly adopting layered strategies that combine prevention, mitigation, and economic risk management. Forging a Resilient West was built to support that regional mindset — helping legislators move beyond siloed solutions and toward coordinated, informed policymaking. CSG West is grateful to Senior Data Specialist Patricia Villalba-Fletes for her leadership in building and maintaining the database and looks forward to the continued work of the Wildfire & Disaster Preparedness Committee as members address these challenges together.