California Commission Proposes Additional Measures to Minimize Impact of Utility Power Shutoffs

The California Public Utilities Commission proposed additional guidelines that investor-owned utilities would be required to follow prior to the 2020 wildfire season prepare for and minimize the impacts of public safety power shutoff events to avoid the risk of power lines starting wildfires, according to a Jan. 30 news release.

The agency also issued a ruling identifying serious deficiencies in Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s weekly post-PSPS corrective action report. The ruling, by President Marybel Batjer, found that the company filed substandard reports, and subsequently stopped filing reports. PG&E must now reinitiate corrective action reporting on a biweekly basis, and adhere to additional reporting requirements, such as expanding the level of detail in the reports and assigning a process owner at the director level.

The guidelines are intended to ensure improved communication with their customers before and during PSPS events and to minimize the impact to customers when PSPS events are implemented by utilities:

• Restore service no longer than 24 hours after event
• Engage in more robust regional collaboration
• Conduct exercises with public safety agencies
• Ensure communication resiliency
• Meet specific needs of vulnerable populations
• Strengthen online information accessibility
• Publicly articulate PSPS decision-making process
• Notify communications carriers proactively
• Address transportation impacts