Mountain View Electric Association Receives $771,000 Federal Grant to Mitigate Wildfire Risks

FALCON, CO, November 7, 2024 – Mountain View Electric Association (MVEA) has received $771,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to enhance wildfire protection and resilience in the communities it serves by making critical upgrades to its electric system.

MVEA is a member of a consortium of 38 electric co-ops and other rural utilities selected to receive federal funding through the Wildfire Assessment and Resilience for Networks project, or “WARN.”

"Securing a wildfire mitigation grant is a vital step toward protecting our communities from the growing threat of wildfires,” said MVEA CEO Ruth Marks. “These funds enable us to implement proactive strategies and build resilience against future disasters."

MVEA will use this funding to enhance the resiliency of its infrastructure and improve fault detection to ensure high reliability during extreme weather events. The funding will impact portions of Black Forest, Monument, and Elbert.

WARN will provide more than $145 million in wildfire mitigation funding to co-ops across 16 states in the central and western United States to drive energy resilience in high-risk rural areas.